Biden trips on Air Force One stairs again after ‘watch your step’ sign added

80-year-old president has been targeted by opponents over repeated stumbles

President Joe Biden walks down the steps of Air Force One at Andrews Air Force Base, Maryland, on Thursday, July 13, 2023. (AP)

President Joe Biden appeared to stumble on the stairs of Air Force One again after a “watch your step” warning was spotted on the jet’s steps earlier this week.

Mr Biden took a slight stumble while boarding the presidential airplane in Helsinki, where he met Scandinavian leaders after a two-day NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania.

“About half way up he appeared to stumble very slightly but kept walking on up. He turned to wave to the staff out on the tarmac and went in,” a pool report noted.

The president’s latest slip came days after a sign reading “watch your step” was placed on the stairs leading up to Air Force One as he arrived at Stansted Airport in the United Kingdom on Sunday.

A Stansted Airport spokesperson told Newsweek  that they believed the sign had been provided by the United States Air Force.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

A ‘watch your step’ sign was spotted on Air Force One as Joe Biden arrived in the UK earlier this week. (Sky News UK)

Mr Biden, 80, has suffered a series of well-documented falls since becoming the oldest US president following his election in November 2020.

In 2021, he fell three times while attempting to board Air Force One on a flight to Atlanta. The White House blamed the falls on the wind.

In May, he stumbled while walking down a small set of stairs in Hiroshima, Japan, during a G7 summit.

President Joe Biden walks down the steps of Air Force One at Andrews Air Force Base, Md., Thursday, July 13, 2023. Biden is returning to Washington after a 5-day trip to Europe that included a visit with King Charles III, attending the NATO Summit in Lithuania and a visit with Nordic leaders in Finland. (AP)

He also took a minor stumble while making his way up the stairs of Air Force One after a surprise visit to Ukraine and Poland in February.

Mr Biden’s critics have frequently used his advancing years to attack him for being mentally and physically unfit to serve as commander-in-chief.

He will be 82 in November 2024, when he plans to seek a second presidential term.

His likely opponent, 77-year-old Donald Trump, has also been scrutinised over his physical wellbeing and mental acuity.