Karma on the stairs? Trump stumbles months after ridiculing Biden’s slip

What goes around, comes around—sometimes in the form of a misstep. On Sunday, President Donald Trump found himself the subject of online mockery after stumbling on the steps of Air Force One—an ironic twist considering his past ridicule of Joe Biden for doing the same.

The brief misstep in Morristown, New Jersey, was quickly recovered, but not before cameras caught the moment and social media users had a field day calling it "stair karma."The stumble happened as President Trump boarded Air Force One at Morristown Municipal Airport, heading back to Washington, D.C., after weekend engagements. Gripping the handrail with his right hand, Trump’s left foot caught the edge of a step.

He faltered briefly, bracing himself with a quick touch of the stairs, and then continued up without incident.Though it lasted just a second, the moment immediately sparked chatter online—mainly because of Trump’s previous jabs at Biden’s own stumbles.

To add to the awkwardness, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who was accompanying Trump on the flight to Camp David, also tripped on the same set of stairs while boarding.

Both recovered quickly, but the double misstep did not go unnoticed.

When Trump mocked Biden’s fall

Trump’s stumble drew comparisons to Biden’s own high-profile trips—and Trump’s sharp criticisms of them. In 2023, Trump mocked Biden after the latter fell at the U.S. Air Force Academy graduation in Colorado, calling it “not inspiring” while also saying, “I hope he wasn’t hurt… You don’t want that.”

Back in 2020, Trump defended himself for walking cautiously down a ramp at West Point, likening it to “an ice-skating rink.”

He explained at the time, “The whole thing is crazy… even if you have to tip-toe down a ramp, you don’t want that.”In another speech from the campaign trail, Trump jabbed: “Joe Biden can’t even walk up a flight of stairs on Air Force One and he can’t put two sentences together.” The incident this week has prompted critics to throw Trump’s own words back at him.

Social media was quick to remark on this. One user said, “That looks like the exact same spot President Biden tripped. Those stairs are fired!” A second user, “Fix the stairs for heavens sake. Is this intentional or just blatant lazy negligence in the maintenance department?” A third user, “Rubio reading the terrain and taking another one for the team! Love that guy!!”