On Monday, six months after hurting himself when he fell off an adult bike, President Joe Biden rode a kid-sized bike.
Biden was in the Christmas spirit as he organized toys at a Toys for Tots event, grinning and laughing with the kids who were present.
The president, a fervent cyclist, went on a few different rides.
As soon as he entered the gym at Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall in Arlington, Virginia, where stacks of toys were waiting, he mounted one bicycle, a larger version.
Despite the distress he displayed in June after falling off his bike while on a weekend trip to his vacation home in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, Biden, 80, grinned and waved to the throng. President Trump was unharmed. And in August, while he was on Kiawah Island in South Carolina, going for a beach ride, he got back in the seat.
Later on Monday, when he was assisting the children in sorting contributions into various boxes, Biden spotted a kid-sized bicycle and gave it a spin. The 6-foot president hopped back off because it was a little too short for him and let the children to distribute it to the correct location.
First wife Jill Biden accompanied Biden at the charity event, which raises millions of dollars in toy contributions for underprivileged children throughout the holiday season.
She brought up a child to read a passage from The Grinch Who Stole Christmas in her place after apologizing for having laryngitis and taking the stage.
The first lady’s voice was raspy, and she repeatedly cleared her throat as she said that watching the kids pitch in makes “my heart grow three sizes as well.”
She and the president both emphasized the value of family.
The children were dressed in cheery Christmas colors, and a Marine band was playing holiday music, creating a cheerful environment.
The Bidens gave the kids packs of presidential M&Ms that bore Joe Biden’s autograph.
About 40 children and the first couple assisted in sorting toys into boxes for distribution.
Biden spent the majority of his time interacting with the kids and different Marines, though he did carry a few boxes to the barrels for sorting.
Throughout the encounter, kids swarmed the first lady and him. The first pair then posed for pictures afterward.
The United States Marine Corps Reserve’s Toys for Tots program provides toys to youngsters whose families are unable to provide them with Christmas presents. The program was started in 1947 by Major Bill Hendricks, a reserve officer.
During her first year in the White House, Jill Biden took part in the toy drive the previous year as well.
Currently, Toys for Tots gives 7 million less poor kids an average of 18 million toys each year.
