Biden drops then chases challenge coin intended for military officer

Butterfingers Biden! Moment President Biden accidentally drops then chases challenge coin he was trying to present to senior military officer

• Biden tried to retrieve coin after failed handoff with Colonel Ethan P. Hinkins
• The President was later meeting with a group of Minnesota lawmakers

President Joe Biden accidentally dropped and then chased a challenge coin as it rolled away from him Monday during an awkward exchange with a senior military officer.

Biden, 80, bent down to pick up the coin after a failed handoff with US Air Force Colonel Ethan P. Hinkins. 

He was greeting the senior military officer before talks with a group of Minnesota lawmakers at Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport.

Biden has handed out numerous presidential coins during his tenure, including to Pope Francis and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

‘I know my son would want me to give this to you, because on the back of it I have the state of Delaware and the 261st [Army] unit my son served with,’ the president told the Pope during a visit to the Vatican in October 2021.

Pictured: Biden, 80, meeting US Air Force Colonel Ethan P. Hinkins

Pictured: Biden picking the coin up from the floor at Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport

Beau Biden, the president’s firstborn son, served in the Delaware Army National Guard and as the First State’s attorney general before he passed away due to brain cancer in 2015.

During a visit to the US in December, Biden also handed Zelensky a challenge coin in exchange for a medal from a Ukrainian military officer.

The US President has also gifted coins to athletes such as the NBA’s Stephen Curry and celebrities such as Korean pop sensations BTS.

On Monday, Biden gave a second challenge coin to Air Force Chief Master Sergeant Kristen M. Maloney without incident.

Air Force One landed in the Twin Cities ahead of an address by Biden at a factory in Fridley, Minnesota to discuss his economic policy.

Biden avoided questions as he left the plane about whether he was worried about potential unrest ahead of former President Donald Trump’s Tuesday arraignment in New York City.

Asked the same question later in the day, Biden told reporters: ‘I have faith in the New York Police Department.’

Pictured: The coin on Biden’s shoe. The President was greeting Colonel Ethan P. Hinkins before talks with a group of Minnesota lawmakers 

Zelensky gave Biden a Ukrainian military medal, saying it was for merit

In December, Biden sparked concerns about his health when he spoke with a hoarse voice and coughed his way through a speech on the economy. He is the oldest president in American history.

At the time, the White House released a statement from the president’s doctor Kevin O’Conner to reassure the American people that he just had a cold.

In February, Biden was declared a ‘healthy’ and ‘vigorous’ 80-year-old who is fit for office by his doctor after his annual physical at Walter Reed.

White House physician Colonel Kevin O’Connor provided an update on his health amid concerns over his age as he prepares to announce a 2024 run for president.

The results were largely unchanged from last time, aside from a lesion on his chest that has been sent for cancer screening, and there was no cognitive test despite calls from Republicans.

O’Connor said Biden’s gait ‘remains stiff’, but insisted it has not worsened since the last examination.

There was also a detailed ‘neurologic exam’ that found nothing ‘consistent with any cerebellar or central neurological disorder’.

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