Joe Biden has new shoes, and people are asking questions.
The president was filmed walking (and "jogging") across the White House lawn to board Marine One on Wednesday, and while there were several things to note about his appearance, what was on his feet took top billing.
If America were led by a normal president who wasn't in steep physical and mental decline, this probably wouldn't have even been noticed. Perhaps the fashion section of some newspaper would have commented on it, but no one would have cared otherwise. Biden is not a normal president, though, and this has actually been an ongoing saga for him.
Over the last few years, the president has faceplanted multiple times, including boarding Air Force One. The remedy was to have him start using the "short stairs" to limit his exposure. His most infamous fall came later, during a commencement speech at the U.S. Air Force Academy.
Sometime around that same time, Biden's handlers made the move to "dress sneakers" with softer soles that are easier to walk in. Comments abounded, noting that he was wearing them even when meeting with world leaders, a time when decorum is usually valued.
Which brings us back to this latest video. Has he made the move to wearing full-blown old-man tennis shoes with suits now? It sure looks like it. Have another look.
If those aren't my grandfather's all-black New Balances or similar, they sure look like them. At this current rate of progression, they are going to be driving him out to the helicopter in a golf cart by the end of the year.
It wasn't just the shoes, though. Early in the video, he actually has to get a running start to make it over the towering transition that is concrete to grass. Perhaps he was just trying to show off his supposed "vigor," but it looked really awkward, as did his gait in general. Biden doesn't just talk like a very old man; he walks like one. The short, choppy steps and off-balance look, coupled with the appearance of constantly stumbling, have become more commonplace since he took office. This is a man who is aging very quickly.
And yet, he's running for re-election anyway. That's the kind of shameless thirst for power that many American politicians have. A sane person would retire and go spend time with their grandkids. Not Biden. He's going to stay in office until extenuating circumstances force him out.