Mike Pence fell flat almost on his face running up the stairs on Air Force Two and Twitter users swung into action with comments and memes.
Vice President Mike Pence, 61, was putting on a show of how fit he was by running up the stairs of Air Force Two on June 23, when he accidentally tripped on one of the plane’s top stairs, fell forward right onto his hands, and it was sooooo awkward. While the veep quickly got to his feet and gave a thumbs up and waved to the crowd, Twitter users were quick to compare him to former President Gerald Ford, who famously fell down Air Force One’s stairs in 1975, during a trip to Austria.
Mike Pence. Block or charge?🤣
— Rex Chapman🏇🏼 (@RexChapman) June 23, 2020
“Well he is the new Gerald Ford of the impeached president,” one tweet read, referring to the impeachment of President Donald Trump, 74.
Well he is the new Gerald Ford of the impeached president.
— Robert Webb (@rldwebb) June 23, 2020
Another user compared him to 44th President Barack Obama, 58. “He’s trying to be Obama but he just can’t quite get there,” the tweet read along with a video of Obama smoothly going up a plane’s set of stairs. “We just entered Summer, isn’t it too early for Fall?” a third user joked. “OK Mike, you got this…don’t trip don’t trip don’t trip don’t trip don’t trip don’t trip D’OH!” a fourth tweet read.
“OK Mike, you got this…don’t trip don’t trip don’t trip don’t trip don’t trip don’t trip D’OH!” 🤣
— 🔥 Lucky Dog Hot Sauce 🔥 (@luckydoghot) June 23, 2020
Pence’s fall isn’t the first time a large number of Twitter users laughed about a politician’s vulnerable moment on airplane steps. President Trump was mocked after he unknowingly had a piece of toilet paper stuck to his shoe while going up Air Force One’s steps. Lucky for him, he didn’t fall, but it didn’t prevent social media users from writing some eye-catching responses such as “Flush yourself, please” and one user even called the moment his “paper towel walk.”
Pence’s near-face plant happened while he was getting ready to head to Wisconsin to attend a roundtable discussion about school choice with Education Secretary Betsy DeVos. Other Twitter users made it a point that Pence was trying to show off his fitness level after President Trump was mocked for carefully and shakily walking down a ramp at West Point on June 13.
“I wonder if Mike Pence was trying to show he’s fit and contrast Trump going down that recent ramp. Planned to run up without stopping or using the handrail. Close but then failed. You can he’s thinking at the last second ‘Nuts’,” one tweet read.
I wonder if Mike Pence was trying to show he's fit and contrast Trump going down that recent ramp. Planned to run up without stopping or using the handrail. Close but then failed. You can he's thinking at the last second "Nuts".
— John Dreyer (@ashowforyou) June 23, 2020
Another political figure who had a public mishap near a plane in 2018 was the wife of former Rep. John Culberson, R-Texas, Belinda Culberson. Pence was with her when she toppled over after coming down the steps of Air Force Two at Hobby Airport in Houston. She was not hurt and he helped her back up before he and her husband went to greet supporters on the tarmac.
