Last week it was reported that White House staff would start a new routine to help block President Biden from cameras and questions during walks across the lawn. No more solo walks: 

President Biden has introduced a change to his White House departure and return routine: Instead of walking across the South Lawn to and from Marine One by himself, he's now often surrounded by aides.

• Why it matters: With aides usually walking between Biden and the press' camera position outside the White House, the visual effect is to draw less attention to the 81-year-old's halting and stiff gait, Axios' Hans Nichols and Alex Thompson report.

Some Biden advisers have told Axios they're concerned that videos of Biden walking and shuffling alone — especially across the grass — have highlighted his age.

• Weeks ago, the president told aides that he'd prefer a less formal approach, a White House official told Axios. He suggested that they walk with him.

White House staffers and reporters alike noticed the sudden change in Biden's walk routine beginning in mid-April, after more than three years in which he'd typically walked solo.

First, they switched Biden to the shorter staircase on Air Force One, now this:

Ouch!

Over the weekend the new approach was quite obvious:

Yesterday it became clear this new approach seems to be the new normal at the White House:

This is the same Biden who told Howard Stern he would be willing to debate Trump? Yeah, that's not going to happen.

Biden's staff can add that to their resumes.

But he's sharp as a tack physically and mentally behind closed doors -- or so we're told.