Trump, 79, Called Out for Awkward Exit on Air Force One’s Steps
Trump, 79, Called Out for Awkward Exit on Air Force One’s Steps
Donald Trump has fueled new speculation about his health after an awkward descent on Air Force One’s stairs.
A video of the 79-year-old president exiting the plane at Palm Beach International Airport on Saturday morning, posted by MAGA influencer Paul Villarreal, has drawn attention online for Trump’s odd hand movement and slow, careful descent.
In the video, Trump appears at the aircraft door and slaps his right leg three times with his right hand before heading down the stairs. He cautiously navigates the steps while gripping tightly onto the railing, taking about 18 seconds to reach the bottom of the short staircase.
President Trump exited Air Force One tonight in West Palm Beach. He is headed to Mar-a-Lago.
. pic.twitter.com/Z4vBY8qobw— Paul Villarreal (AKA Vince Manfeld) (@AureliusStoic1) December 20, 2025
He then plops into “The Beast,” the heavily armored presidential car, where he is seen drinking what appears to be a Diet Coke. Trump is spending Christmas at his Mar-a-Lago estate.
Critics online were quick to note the president’s apparent frailty and peculiar leg-slapping.
“Tapping that leg to make sure it works going down,” one X user commented.
Another wrote, “I wish he concentrated on the economy like he concentrated on going down those stairs.”
One person hypothesized about his hand motions, “It is not his leg he is touching, but he is trying to get life back into his hand.”
The elderly president’s supporters defended him, however, with many pointing out that Trump had just wrapped up a long day, including a rally in Rocky Mount, North Carolina.
Trump—who was filmed stumbling on Air Force One’s stairs during a visit to New Jersey in June this year—has frequently spoken about being “very careful” about walking down stairs to avoid the perils of his predecessor, Joe Biden.
“I’m very careful. You know, when I walk downstairs—like I’m on stairs like these stairs—I walk very slowly,“ Trump said while addressing the nation’s top generals in September.
More in Politics
Artist to Pull Kennedy Center Show Over Trump Rename
The Daily Beast2.6K
James Talarico says the biggest ‘welfare queens’ in America are ‘the giant corporations that don’t pay a penny in income taxes’
Fortune1.8K
Legendary rock star goes off on Trump: ‘Disgusting human being’
NJ.com6.9K
A few days later, he brought up the subject again while taking shots at Biden during a speech to Navy sailors.
“We had a horrible, horrible president who had no clue what the hell was happening. The chances of him walking down those stairs successfully were not good,” he said. “And I have to be careful because one day I’m gonna probably fall.”
The commander-in-chief then revealed what he apparently tells himself while walking down stairs: “I always say, ‘Walk down the steps nice and slowly.’ You ever notice? I don’t have to bop down the stairs. ‘Walk nice and slowly.’”
Questions around Trump’s health have dogged him in his second term, particularly after he let slip that he had undergone an MRI scan in October.
The White House eventually said it was a “preventative” look at his heart and abdomen, a claim met with skepticism from medical experts who stressed that there was “nothing standard” about the scan.
The Daily Beast has reached out to the White House for comment.
With a two-game division lead and a shifting cast of playmakers, can the Steelers win with a baseline of Rodgers’ play below what his teams once needed?
Yahoo Sports
Nate Tice & Charles McDonald give their instant reactions and takeaways from Week 16 of NFL action.
Yahoo Sports
This game can be pretty tough, so we’ve got clues if you’re stuck on today’s puzzle, #925.
Yahoo Tech
Need extra hints for today’s Strands puzzle? Here are clues and spoilers for puzzle #659.
Yahoo Tech
Bryant was motionless as he was carted off the field. Sean Payton told reporters after the game that Bryant was able to move his hands and legs.
Yahoo Sports
The NFL and its officials are in a tough spot here. The objective is to be fair and render sound judgment, but analysis of the rules nowadays takes time — too much, if you ask viewers of two of Week 16’s biggest games.
Yahoo Sports
Jackson left the field in pain after sliding late in the second quarter.
Yahoo Sports
Fantasy football analyst Ray Garvin breaks down the major action we witnessed in Week 16.
Yahoo Sports
The Red Sox are sending right-hander Hunter Dobbins and several minor-league players to St. Louis in the deal.
Yahoo Sports
David Adelman charged at an official and screamed, “You are f***ing terrible, man!” loud enough to be heard clearly on the broadcast on Saturday night.
Yahoo SportsPowered by WPeMatico