Left: President Biden walks to Marine One solo on Jan. 5. Right: He walks to the helicopter with several aides on April 18.<\/p>\n
Joe Biden<\/a> is using a team of \u201cwalkers\u201d around him to disguise his shuffling gait from photographers, it has been claimed.<\/p>\n The US president<\/a>, 81, has begun walking across the White House lawn surrounded by a group of aides when boarding Marine One, his helicopter.<\/p>\n Traditionally, presidents approach the helicopter alone to give photographers a clearer shot but Mr Biden\u2019s team became concerned that footage of him walking alone emphasised his shuffling gait and could worsen concerns about his age<\/a>, Axios reported.<\/p>\n They said that walking slowly across the grass alone made Mr Biden look older.<\/p>\n 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\u2019s legs.<\/p>\n They include Bruce Reed and Annie Tomasini, his deputy chiefs of staff, and Mike Donilon, his close adviser.<\/p>\n Mr Biden himself has told aides he would prefer a \u201cless formal\u201d walking style in photographs, after his doctor revealed he had \u201cspinal arthritis\u201d and \u201cmild sensory peripheral neuropathy of the feet\u201d that made his gait stiffer.<\/p>\n The new strategy began earlier this month and Mr Biden has been seen walking with advisers nine in 10 times since April 16.<\/p>\n It comes after Mr Biden\u2019s team suggested he wear \u201cmaximum stability\u201d shoes to stop him from falling over.<\/p>\n A poll by NBC News on Thursday found that Mr Biden\u2019s age and mental capacity were voters\u2019 top concerns about his candidacy in this year\u2019s presidential election<\/a>.<\/p>\n The president\u2019s team has carefully stage-managed his appearances to avoid him tripping over, including by changing the stairs he uses to board Air Force One.<\/p>\n Mr Biden reportedly does physical therapy and stretching most days in an attempt to keep him nimble during the punishing schedule on the campaign trial.<\/p>\n The president has also begun to address his age proactively in speeches and political adverts, telling voters in one recent video: \u201cI\u2019m not a young guy \u2013 that\u2019s no secret.\u201d<\/p>\n He is fond of arguing that his advanced years make him a better politician because he remembers threats to democracy throughout the 20th century.<\/p>\n