Joe Biden is using a team of “walkers” around him to disguise his shuffling gait from photographers, it has been claimed.
The US president, 81, has begun walking across the White House lawn surrounded by a group of aides when boarding Marine One, his helicopter.
Traditionally, presidents approach the helicopter alone to give photographers a clearer shot but Mr Biden’s team became concerned that footage of him walking alone emphasised his shuffling gait and could worsen concerns about his age, Axios reported.
They said that walking slowly across the grass alone made Mr Biden look older.
The team has reportedly tasked a team of advisers also travelling with Mr Biden to walk alongside him for the Marine One shot, obscuring Mr Biden’s legs.
They include Bruce Reed and Annie Tomasini, his deputy chiefs of staff, and Mike Donilon, his close adviser.
Mr Biden himself has told aides he would prefer a “less formal” walking style in photographs, after his doctor revealed he had “spinal arthritis” and “mild sensory peripheral neuropathy of the feet” that made his gait stiffer.
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