The fall of President Bola Tinubu on Wednesday in Eagle Square, Abuja, has garnered a lot of attention. After the 72-year-old tripped, fell, and struck his head on the floor of a parade van, Mr. Tinubu found himself in the spotlight once more.
The event has spurred discussion regarding Mr. Tinubu’s health on social media among Nigerians. Prior to the February 2023 presidential election, Mr. Tinubu’s health was the focus of attention during his election campaign. But Mr. Tinubu will be the first—and most likely the last—head of state to go through such a humiliating collapse. A mosaic of prominent global leaders’ presidential assassinations can be found throughout history. The eight previous presidents and prime ministers who fell at public events are listed below while internet users continue to discuss the fall of Mr. Tinubu.
1. Joe Biden: Similar to Mr. Tinubu, a significant public concern is the 46th U.S. president’s physical capabilities. After giving out diplomas at the US Air Force Academy graduation ceremony in June 2023, Mr. Biden collapsed on stage. It was said that a sandbag caused him to misstep and fall. The 81-year-old joked with reporters that he “got sandbagged” after surviving the encounter unscathed.
2. In 2019 at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, Chinese President Xi Jinping slipped and nearly fell to the ground. Mr. Xi began to gently fall while he was on stage with other international leaders, including UN Secretary General António Guterres, before being helped to safety by security staff.
3. During a 2019 hockey game he participated in, Vladimir Putin, the Russian leader who enjoys flaunting his aura, saw himself on the floor. He fell hard to the ground while he was making a victory lap around the Bolshoy Ice Dome in Sochi and cheering on the crowd.
4. The late Zimbabwean Prime Minister Robert Mugabe saw himself escorted down a red carpet upon his arrival in Harare, the nation’s capital, in 2015. To avoid humiliation, several journalists were made to remove images and videos of the incident.
5. The media caught Gerald Ford, the 38th President of the United States, tumbling to the ground as he got off Air Force One in 1975 while traveling to Salzburg, Austria. “I appreciate your kind welcome to Salzburg, and I am sorry I tumbled in,” Mr Ford said.
6. During a visit to the Elysee Palace in France in 2015, Helle Thorning-Schmidt, the 26th prime minister of Denmark, fell to her knees and hands. She screamed as she went down.
7. The former prime minister of the United Kingdom, Boris Johnson, suffered a spectacular fall in 2015 when he stumbled and fell to the ground during a charitable tug-of-war match with the British military forces.
8. Another previous prime minister of the United Kingdom on the list is Margaret Thatcher. Ms. Thatcher slipped and fell in 1982 while exiting the Great Hall of the People at a political conference in Beijing over negotiations regarding the future of the British colonial colony of Hong Kong.
