Joe Biden endured an awkward moment caught on video as he struggled to put on his jacket and ended up dropping his signature aviator sunglasses while stepping off of his Marine One helicopter.
First lady Jill Biden had to step in and help her husband get hold of the jacket’s sleeve which was blowing away in the wind caused by the chopper’s blades.
The Bidens were returning after meeting families affected by devastating floods in eastern Kentucky on Monday and were leaving for Air Force One.
The video showed him struggling to find the sleeve of his jacket while his other hand was inside another sleeve. After his repeated attempts, he appeared to call for Ms Biden who helped him finally wear his jacket.
As Ms Biden walked ahead of her husband, Mr Biden’s sunglasses, balanced precariously on top of his mask, fell on the tarmac. The president quickly scooped up the glasses before walking away.
It was his first official trip after testing positive for Covid-19 last month following which he was holed up in the White House for more than two weeks in isolation. He tested negative for the infection on Sunday and was deemed fit to safely return to public engagement and presidential travel by his physician.
The president and first lady met with first responders and families who had lost homes on Monday after the worst flooding in the state’s history in late July.
He pledged more financial support for disaster-stricken Kentucky, describing recent destructive flash flooding in the state as “another sign of dangerous climate change”.
Around 38 people have died in eastern Kentucky after severe storms dropped between 8 and 10.5 inches of rain in the span of 48 hours. This was after the state was hit by devastating tornadoes in December last year, killing 77 people.
The Bidens arrived on Air Force One at Blue Grass Airport just before 11am local time and were joined by Linda Gorton, the mayor of Lexington city.
They then flew in Marine One to take stock of the damage in the area and met the families at Marie Roberts Elementary School in Lost Creek.
He also praised the recently passed Inflation Reduction Act which he said would “take care of everything from healthcare to god knows what else”.
In a significant win for his domestic agenda, the Senate passed the Inflation Reduction Act on Sunday.
The bill, which will tackle the climate crisis and prescription drug prices, made it through on strict party lines with a tie-breaking vote from vice president Kamala Harris.
It will head to the House of Representatives on Friday and if passed, will be signed into law by Mr Biden.
