The White House decided against having former President Joe Biden board a vessel during a visit to a Philadelphia shipyard in July 2023 after realizing the number of steps required to get on board, newly released emails reveal.

Records obtained by watchdog group Protect the Public’s Trust through a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request, and first reported by Fox News, show Department of Transportation staffers discussing Biden’s trip to the Philly Shipyard and the White House’s decision not to allow him to inspect a boat.

The Maritime Administration (MARAD) had awarded the Philly Shipyard a contract to build a National Security Multi-Mission Vessel (NSMV) years prior, but days before Biden’s visit, it was revealed that he would not be allowed to board the ship.

White House officials would not allow Biden, who was 80 years old at the time, to board a vessel at a Philadelphia shipyard in 2023.
White House officials would not allow Biden, who was 80 years old at the time, to board a vessel at a Philadelphia shipyard in 2023. AFP via Getty Images

According to an email from a MARAD official, the White House made this decision because of the “lots of steps on grating” required to board the NSMV vessel.

Biden’s visit to the Philly Shipyard included meetings with apprentices and attendance at a steel-cutting ceremony for an offshore wind farm construction vessel, following a fall he had taken at an Air Force Academy graduation ceremony in Colorado.

Since the fall, Biden had been seen boarding Air Force One using the shorter set of stairs on the aircraft.

Just a week before his visit to the shipyard, Biden stumbled on Air Force One’s short staircase as he prepared to depart Helsinki-Vantaan International Airport in Finland.

Biden took a hard fall less than two months before the Philly trip.
Biden took a hard fall less than two months before the Philly trip. AP
The National Security Multi-Mission Vessel being built at the shipyard had too many steps for Biden, according to an email sent to DOT staffers from a MARAD official.
The National Security Multi-Mission Vessel being built at the shipyard had too many steps for Biden, according to an email sent to DOT staffers from a MARAD official. Bloomberg via Getty Images

This incident was not the only time Biden was prevented from boarding a boat due to concerns about the number of steps involved. Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson claimed in his autobiography that the White House had also refused to let Biden board the British Navy’s flagship aircraft carrier ahead of the 2021 G7 summit in Cornwall, leaving Johnson questioning Biden’s “physical fitness.”

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Source: The Telegraph