Joe Biden wears ‘wide sole’ trainers after series of falls
Joe Biden has been spotted wearing a pair of $150 (£117) wide sole trainers after a series of public falls.
The US president’s latest footwear has renewed debate over the 81-year-old’s physical health, amid speculation the trainers may be intended to help prevent him tripping.
Andrew Bates, the White House’s deputy press secretary, disputed the claims, saying Mr Biden used the shoe to exercise.
Made by sportswear brand Hoka, the shoes are described as “at the intersection of lifestyle and performance”.
Mr Biden’s new footwear was spotted by Inside Edition, which road tested a pair of Hoka’s Transport trainers and described them as having a “wide sole” and the feel of “walking on air”.
Hoka’s website says the shoes have been endorsed by the American Podiatric Association, which recognises footwear that is beneficial to foot health.
It comes after a string of embarrassing incidents for the White House, including Mr Biden tripping on the steps of Air Force One and a tumble on stage at an Air Force Academy ceremony last year.
Polls show a significant majority of Americans have concerns about the commander-in-chief’s mental and physical stamina as he asks the public to reelect him for a second term, by the end of which he would be 86.
A recent ABC News/Ipsos poll found that 86 per cent of Americans believe he is too old for another spell as president.
Mr Biden’s White House doctor has previously revealed that the president’s halting gait is the result of him suffering from “significant spinal arthritis, mild post-fracture foot arthritis and a mild sensory peripheral neuropathy of the feet”.
He is known to receive treatment to maintain flexibility, holding frequent morning sessions with Dr Drew Contreras, the White House’s physical therapist.
The president suffers from sensory peripheral neuropathy in both feet. The condition often causes weakness, numbness and pain, according to the Mayo Clinic.
Among the symptoms, according to Johns Hopkins University, is a loss of feeling in the affected area, or a loss of balance.
White House staff have privately claimed Mr Biden’s stiff gait is partly the result of his refusal to wear an orthopaedic boot after suffering a hairline fracture while playing with his German shepherd, Major, shortly after the 2020 election.
However, Mr Biden has since come around to less formal footwear, routinely wearing tennis shoes and even sporting a pair of Skechers, another trainer brand, on his way to London last summer.
White House aides have made other accommodations for America’s oldest-ever president, including walking shorter, carefully stage-managed, distances in public.
Mr Biden has taken to using the presidential jet’s shorter flight of stairs, which go directly into the belly of the aircraft, rather than the grander set at the front of the plane.
The president also has a secret service agent waiting for him at the foot of the stairs when he disembarks.
Mr Biden is far from the only elected senior US official to opt for more casual footwear.
At an Oval Office meeting last year, three senior leaders in Congress drew the attention of fashion critics when they were spotted wearing some variation of the hybrid “dress sneaker”.
Republicans Mitch McConnell, 82, Kevin McCarthy, 59, the then house speaker, and Hakeem Jeffries, the Democratic House minority leader, all wore a version of workwear trainers while meeting the president.
The style has become ubiquitous on Capitol Hill, leading Yang-Yi Goh, GQ’s style director, to declare it an “awful” trend.
Meanwhile, Donald Trump unveiled his own trainer brand earlier this year. The “Never Surrender” golden high-tops with an American flag detail on the back are being sold for $399 (£313).
The Republican National Committee seized on a clip of Inside Edition’s report on the president’s new shoes to claim: “Biden’s handlers are forcing him to wear a new pair of ‘lifestyle sneakers’ because he trips so much.”
The Inside Edition report suggests that the shoes are “no doubt great for stability”.
However, Hoka’s website makes no such claims, describing the trainers as “commuter-friendly” and “designed with the city-dweller in mind”.
Mr Bates, the White House spokesman, told Fox News that Mr Biden uses the shoes for exercise.
“I know y’all don’t care for presidents who exercise. But don’t worry – you’ll get used to it,” he added.
Stephen Doig
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