This time it’s not Republicans “pouncing,” you’ll be relieved to know.

We’re just to “blame.”

“Blame for WHUT, Beege? Whud we do now?” you ask.

Well. Nothing until the next time the President of the United States falls or trips or wanders aimlessly looking lost and confused or mumbles incoherently, like he does every time he’s in public…and one of us notices. Maybe…points it out to a friend…or 12.

Then we get blamed. Because Biden isn’t old, dementia-ridden, and decrepit – we’re mean. Especially in an election cycle, when he’s their guy.

But that’s what aides and the educated heads at the White House get paid the big bucks for. To circumvent our anticipated meanness, and buff their wrinkled sucker up to as shiny, new and appealing to voters as they can possible make him. So they have a plan.

A POTATUS plan.

The first step of which is, literally, the first step. Keeping his wobbly butt upright and out of freefall, both on tarmac and voters’ polling.

🚨🚨Scoop: Biden don't-let-him-trip strategy – new shoes, balancing exercises, shorter stairs https://t.co/HZlvhtvOaV

— Jim VandeHei (@JimVandeHei) September 26, 2023

The funny thing is, I’d already noticed the short steps on the Air Force One – had you?

Turns out, it’s all part of the plan.

President Biden and his campaign are working on a critical project for his re-election bid: Make sure he doesn’t trip.

Driving the news: As voters express deep concerns about the 80-year-old president’s age and fitness for office, Biden’s team is taking extra steps to prevent him from stumbling in public — as he did in June, when he tripped over a sandbag at the Air Force Academy.

• With a physical therapist, Biden has been doing exercises to improve his balance as far back as November 2021.

• Since his stumble in June, he has been wearing tennis shoes more often to avoid slipping — and using the short stairs on Air Force One, entering the plane on a lower deck than before.

Democrats are “terrified” POTATUS will faceplant…

Happy first day of fall. https://t.co/61DozBqbfk

— Kevin Smith 🇺🇸 (@Kevinsmithspc) September 23, 2023

…yet again…

…and are desperate to keep his obvious geriatric difficulties under control to stop Republicans from “capitalizing” on them to raise questions about Biden’s advanced age.

If he doesn’t stumble, the WH thinking goes, he’s not old and feeble!

…Why it matters: Democrats, including some in the administration, are terrified that Biden will have a bad fall — with a nightmare scenario of it happening in the weeks before the November 2024 election.

Zoom in: Some senior Democrats privately have been frustrated with Biden’s advance team for months, citing the sandbag incident and noting that the president often appears not to know which direction to go after he speaks at a podium.

• Often without context, Republicans have used video clips of Biden looking confused about where to go after speeches to raise further questions about his age.

I love that “often without context, Republicans use” video of Biden being confused. Exactly what context is needed in most of these videos, when they’re at the end of a speech? Biden’s on a podium and is consistently befuddled even when there is only one way to go. Often the participants around him have to help him, or staff jump up to guide him. Or, as with President Lula at the U.N., others who are participants just throw up their hands in frustration or disgust.

Biden took the stage at a UN event in violation of protocol without Brazilian President Lula, almost knocked down the Brazilian flag, and then forgot to shake hands with the Brazilian president.

In Brazilian social networks, special attention is paid to Biden’s short run after… pic.twitter.com/Nmxtg6VqsM

— Sprinter (@Sprinter99800) September 21, 2023

Wandering off after a ceremony is almost expected anymore. It’s not a one-off.

JUST IN: Once again, President Biden appears confused, unsure of his next steps after his speech. Who should shoulder the blame – Biden or his staff? WATCHpic.twitter.com/lR1HwzN8pD

— Simon Ateba (@simonateba) September 14, 2023

It’s nice Axios plays a little CYA here. But it’s wasted effort and oh, so obvious when it happens regularly. THAT is the problem they can’t paper over, call a “conspiracy,” or blame Republicans for when people say, “Damn. There he goes AGAIN,” and a million conversations and memes are born.

It’s also not helping the CYA effort when the White House provides medical explanations for the therapy they’re doing to “improve” Biden’s physical deficiencies, and an acknowledged expert in the field say, “I’ve never heard of that.”

• “I have never heard the term ‘proprioceptive maintenance maneuvers.’ It is not a clinical term in standard use,” said Professor James Gordon, associate dean and chair of the Division of Biokinesiology and Physical Therapy at the University of Southern California.

Much like many of the ever expanding catalogue of tall tales POTATUS insists on sharing with the world, the events, none of which as described repeatedly, exist in real time, either.

Kirby! Clean up, Aisle 4!

“What is going on?”

The White House is unable to answer why Biden is confused and befuddled in retelling his experiences. pic.twitter.com/eDS5tjkIsW

— Ian Miles Cheong (@stillgray) September 13, 2023

The Biden bunch is counting on a lack of faceplants and/or near misses to prevent Republicans doing to Biden what Democrats did to Dole when the late Senator went off a stage in the latter part of his presidential run. He was mercilessly pilloried.

It’s always different if it’s a Dem.

The thing is, for all the sneakers, stretching exercises, and short buses staircases, they can’t hide Mr. Mumbles.

A Confused Joe Biden Mumbles During Remarks on New Diplomatic Ties with Two Pacific Island Natio #biden pic.twitter.com/hj9MyIA7i9

— TheJeffAdams (@theJeffAdams) September 25, 2023

This is truly where the rubber meets the road, and the “blame Republicans” strategy for pointing it out falls apart.

It’s too late, y’all. Democratic voters have already noticed.

“Every” Democrat MSNBC’s Joe Scarborough has spoken to privately says President Joe Biden is too old to run for re-election, the “Morning Joe” host said Wednesday.

Scarborough made the revelation during a discussion with Washington Post foreign affairs columnist David Ignatius about his recent editorial calling on the 80-year-old president to not run in 2024 — an opinion also shared by three-quarters of Americans and two-thirds of left-wing voters.

“[Co-host] Mika [Brzezinski] and I, everybody we talk to, every political discussion, all it talks a lot about Trump, but when it comes to Joe Biden, people say, ‘Man, he’s too old to run, isn’t he?’” Scarborough said on air.

“When I say every discussion, I don’t mean 99% of the discussion — every discussion.

“I asked Reverend Al [Sharpton] if he was hearing it all the time on our show this past week. He’s hearing it as well.”

Joe Biden’s presidency is also hugely unpopular. His numbers are positively toxic.

Biden's numbers are horrible.

"60% of Democratic primary voters say they want options other than Biden in 2024 in the latest NBC News national poll. This is not a normal number for an incumbent. That’s a very high number.”pic.twitter.com/A7E38ZPg5E

— Citizen Free Press (@CitizenFreePres) September 24, 2023

And the fact that the Democratically controlled media is discussing all of it openly, to include this “scoop“?

I hate to break it to the White House.

They can buy Biden all the grippy ortho sneaks they want to, but as far as his vitality, alertness, cognizance, acuity, and capable presidential public image is concerned?

The man’s already flat on his face.

*UPDATE*: OMG

🚨 BREAKING: Joe Biden almost falls down the stairs hours after Axios publishes the piece “Biden team's don't-let-him-trip mission” pic.twitter.com/f4hbeoFSGR

— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) September 26, 2023

I post.

Biden has joined the UAW picket line, being the first president to do so: pic.twitter.com/R6A2VoSgra

— unusual_whales (@unusual_whales) September 26, 2023

You…weep, curse, pounce. Whatever.

"Mr. President, should the UAW get a 40% [pay] increase?"

BIDEN: *confused* pic.twitter.com/Ya8LbCOimv

— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) September 26, 2023

I got nuthin’.

Biden, when asked if UAW workers should get a 40% raise, joins in workers saying yes: pic.twitter.com/Ex3RChaHhi

— unusual_whales (@unusual_whales) September 26, 2023