President Joe Biden tripped and fell after handing out the last diploma at a graduation ceremony at the United States Air Force Academy, but got up quickly and walked back to his seat.
Mr Biden fell as he was dismounting his bicycle last June, after snaring a foot in a toe clip, but was uninjured.
The 80-year-old US president fell forward, caught himself with his hands, then got up on one knee helped by three people. He walked back to his seat unassisted.
After Mr Biden was helped up, he pointed behind him, seeming to indicate what he tripped over. He mingled with other officials afterward, smiling and giving a “thumbs up” sign.
White House communications director Ben LaBolt said on Twitter that Mr Biden was fine.
“There was a sandbag on stage while he was shaking hands,” he explained.
The fall came after a commencement address Mr Biden delivered to a flag-waving audience where he warned graduates they will enter service in an increasingly unstable world, citing challenges from Russia and China.
The White House said there was a sandbag on the ground while Mr Biden was shaking hands. Source: AAP, AP / Andrew Harnik
Mr Biden, the oldest person to hold the Oval Office, is running for re-election in 2024.
Polls show Americans are concerned about anyone over 75 becoming president. His leading Republican opponent, Donald Trump, turns 77 this month.
Doctors declared Mr Biden healthy and fit for duty after a physical examination in February, noting the President does not drink alcohol or use tobacco and exercises “at least” five times a week.
The President delivered remarks to graduating cadets at Falcon Stadium in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
“Graduates, you made a noble choice to lead a life of service,” Biden said during his speech.
Warning the Air Force Academy 2023 new graduates that they were entering a rapidly evolving world defined by Russian aggression, tensions with China and advances in technology, Biden told them in a commencement speech in Colorado Springs, Colorado: “The world you’re graduating into is not only changing rapidly, the pace of change is accelerating as well.
“We’re seeing proliferating global challenges from Russia’s aggression and brutality in Europe to our competition with China, and a whole hell of a lot in between.
“From growing instability to food insecurity to natural disasters, all of which are being made worse by the existential threat of climate change.”
Biden also pointed to the role of emerging technology like 3D printing and artificial intelligence (AI), which he said could change the nature of conflicts with other nations. He recalled meeting with leading scientists in the Oval Office recently to discuss the issue of artificial intelligence, saying some were “worried that AI can actually overtake human thinking.”
The new graduates will enter the service at a time when the U.S. has played a key role in providing military aid to Ukraine in the face of Russia’s invasion. Biden called the Air Force and Space Force which the new graduates will be entering the “backbone” of efforts to provide assistance to Ukrainians.
The president admonished Russian aggression and spoke about the importance of U.S. leadership in maintaining a united front in support of Ukraine with NATO allies. He vowed U.S. support for Ukraine “will not waver.”
On China, Biden reiterated that the U.S. seeks competition, not conflict, with Beijing.
“The world stands at an inflection point … the decisions we make today are going to determine what the world looks like decades from now,” Biden said. “No graduating class gets to choose the world into which they graduate.”
Thursday’s speech marked the second commencement address Biden delivered this graduation season. He spoke last month at Howard University’s commencement ceremony in Washington, D.C.
Meanwhile, Vice President Harris last Saturday delivered the commencement speech to cadets at West Point, becoming the first woman to do so.