‘I Want the Press to Know That Wasn’t Me’: Biden Jokes Source of Loud Thud Was Someone Else

President Joe Biden had a comical moment while addressing United Auto Workers members in Illinois on Thursday in the form of a sudden thud that interrupted his speech.

Biden was praising the UAW for reaching a tentative agreement with the big three U.S. automakers following a weeks-long strike.

“Look, fact is American workers are ready to work harder than anybody else, but they just need to be given a shot. A fair shot and a fair wage. That’s not too much to ask,” Biden said before the loud thud made him pause.

“You ok?” he addressed someone in the back of the room, as the crowd began to laugh.

“I want the press to know, that wasn’t me,” he continued to applause and laughter, as he broke into a smile.

Biden then poked fun at himself by pretending to stagger away from the lectern, as if he were unsteady on his feet. The president has had an unfortunate pattern of falling, which has caused some to question whether he’s fit enough to run for president in 2024.

To wit, a brief history of the president’s stumbles:

In 2021, Biden tripped while on his way to board Air Force One, which prompted staffers to shorten the stairs leading up to the airplane door. White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre blamed Biden’s tumble on the weather, telling reporters, “It’s pretty windy outside, it’s very windy. I almost fell coming up the steps myself. He is doing 100 percent fine.”

That stumble came shortly after Biden broke his foot after tripping over a bath mat, a fall that caused a hairline fracture and time in an ankle boot.

In June 2022, Biden fell off his bike right in front of reporters.

This past February, Biden once again tripped while ascending the plane stairs, but was able to catch himself.

In May, he tripped down a set of stairs while visiting a shrine in Hiroshima, Japan.

And in June, Biden famously tripped over a sandbag and fell on stage at the U.S. Air Force Academy graduation ceremony in Colorado Springs. The president had to be helped up by Secret Service agents but bounced back, quipping, “I got sandbagged!”

Watch the clip above via C-SPAN.