White House Addresses Allegations of Biden Straying from Tarmac

The White House clarified a social media claim on Friday alleging that President Joe Biden meandered off the tarmac after welcoming home freed Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and two other Americans.

Gershkovich, along with journalist Alsu Kurmasheva and corporate security executive Paul Whelan, returned to the U.S. following a prisoner swap with Russia. They were greeted by Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris at Joint Base Andrews shortly after midnight on Thursday.

Gershkovich had been held in Russia since March 2023 on espionage charges, which he and the U.S. government refute. Whelan has been imprisoned since 2018 under similar accusations, and Kurmasheva was sentenced in July for spreading misinformation about the Russian military.

After the touching reunion, Biden was spotted boarding the plane that brought the freed individuals back.

A post from RNC Research, linked to former President Trump’s campaign, shared a video early Friday that implied Biden was aimlessly wandering before tripping. They suggested this showed a decline in his capacity, with a jab at Harris for not addressing it.

Andrew Bates, a White House communications official, quickly dismissed the claims. He stated that Biden was actually expressing gratitude to the flight crew for their role in bringing the Americans home and encouraged the public to celebrate this positive event instead of engaging in partisanship.

Biden announced his withdrawal from the 2024 presidential race on July 21 amid internal party debates over his age and mental fitness following a troubling debate performance against Trump. On that same day, he endorsed Harris as the presumptive nominee.

Critics have often raised concerns about Biden’s age, noting he is 81, while Trump, at 78, has faced similar scrutiny. Following Biden’s shaky performance in Atlanta, there were suggestions about his mental acuity; however, his team cited a cold and jet lag as contributing factors. Biden remains committed to performing his presidential duties until the end of his term.