President Emmanuel Macron of France has recently
awkwardness
With his spouse Brigitte, captured on camera as they were about to deplane upon arriving for an official visit to Vietnam, this situation isn’t completely unprecedented.
Boarding along with deplaning has witnessed numerous instances where global figures found themselves in situations documented on camera, leading to ironic commentary and mockery, thus etching their awkwardness into history. Below are some prominent cases:
Gerald Ford’s fall
In June 1975, US President Gerald Ford stumbled and fell as he descended the stairs of Air Force One in Salzburg, Austria. This mishap was caught on film and soon turned into fodder for satirical commentary.
Ford attributed the stumble to a previous knee issue; however, this incident earned him the image of being clumsy, a portrayal that top comedian Chevy Chase capitalized on.
his sketches
.
The event turned into a problem for Ford’s re-election bid the next year, adding to the impression of ineptitude throughout his time in office. Ford was defeated by Jimmy Carter in the election.
Biden’s intricate connection with staircases
A fellow U.S. President who found navigating steps challenging was Joe Biden, encountering several stumbles while climbing aboard Air Force One.
In March 2021, he
tripped
Three occasions of climbing the steps at Joint Base Andrews were chalked up by the White House to blustery weather. Before boarding the plane, Biden seemed to pause briefly to brush off his kneecap.
A
similar incident
happened in 2023, raising questions about his physical state.
Trump’s issues with planes
Even though he steers clear of significant mishaps, Donald Trump has occasionally faced challenges when navigating stairs, both ascending and descending them.
In October 2018, he was spotted tossing an umbrella at the summit of the Air Force One staircase, allowing it to tumble down as he made his way onto the aircraft.
On another occasion, he
was spotted
With a scrap of toilet paper attached to the bottom of his shoe, he stepped onto the Air Force One aircraft bound for Minnesota.
In June 2020, he was
observed
carefully making his way down a ramp at West Point, which ignited conversations regarding his well-being. He subsequently clarified that the ramp was “quite lengthy and inclined” and did not have a handrail.
A
First Lady falling
In November 2022, Indonesia’s former first lady, Iriana, was notably involved.
stumbled
As she descended the stairs of the presidential airplane, she was supported by her husband, Joko Widodo.
The presidential pair arrived at I Gusti Ngurah Rai Airport in Bali to attend the G20 summit.
Iriana received immediate assistance from the presidential security team and, thankfully unscathed, proceeded with her planned commitments.
Boris Yeltsin’s no-show
Occasionally, even locating the stairs presents an insurmountable obstacle. This situation applied to Russian President Boris Yeltsin when he arrived in Ireland in 1994 for an official trip but remained inside his aircraft without disembarking.
The Irish Taoiseach Albert Reynolds and his ministers found themselves perplexed on the red carpet at Shannon Airport, eagerly awaiting the arrival of the Russian prime minister who never showed up.
Several reasons were presented for his nonappearance: he was “unwell,” recuperating from an exhausting journey, or his protectors too terrified to rouse him. However, most people tended towards the notion that he was merely too intoxicated to ascend the steps.
Yeltsin sent a letter to Reynolds expressing regret over the “unfortunate incident” that stopped them from meeting and invited Reynolds to come to Russia the next year.
