President Donald Trump took a sweet moment on Monday as he walked down four small steps.
The 79-year-old president carefully descended the steps of Mar-a-Lago’s main entrance to welcome Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to discuss the Gaza peace plan.
As Trump waited for Netanyahu to step forward, he glanced down at the short staircase in front of him.
President Donald Trump also had bruises on his hands on Monday. /Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images
“Hi, Bibi,” he said later, spreading his arms as he lowered his head again and focused on walking slowly down the steps.
After Trump stepped down, the two leaders spoke cordially in front of the cameras.
“Does anyone know this guy? Not a lot of people,” Trump quipped, prompting a grin from Netanyahu, 76.
Trump has made no secret of his fear of walking down stairs. In September, he admitted he was worried about falling out in public like his predecessor, Joe Biden, who was 82 when he left the White House.
“Every day, this guy falls down the stairs,” Trump told military generals gathered in Quantico. Advertisement
The president was still worried about the possibility of falling down the stairs in October, when he acknowledged that he might one day fall.
“We have a very, very bad president who has no idea what’s going on. The chances of him making it down the stairs are not good,” he said. “I have to be careful because one day I might fall.”
Trump has drawn attention in the past for his ginger heritage. As he gingerly climbed down the stairs earlier this month and again in October, social media was abuzz with speculation about his health.
His removal on Monday prompted fresh derision on social media.
Journalist Aaron Rupar drew attention to the video, posting it on X with the caption: “Trump looked worried about walking down the stairs to greet Netanyahu at Mar-a-Lago.”
“How likely are you to fall in front of the camera?” one user replied.
“Apparently walking down the stairs was not part of his cognitive testing,” another added.
Others, however, noted that someone of Trump’s age would be cautious when descending stairs.
But he had more to worry about than just walking down the steps. In June, Trump briefly tripped while climbing the stairs to Air Force One.
The following month, the White House revealed that Trump had been diagnosed with chronic venous insufficiency, a common condition in which leg veins have trouble pumping blood back to the heart.
Trump, the oldest president to take office, has long fueled speculation about his physical and mental health amid bruises on his hands, swollen ankles, confusion and mysterious examinations.
On Monday, Trump’s hands were found to have bruises – one covered with makeup, one bare – that the White House had previously attributed to the president’s frequent handshakes and daily aspirin intake. Trump is right-handed, prompting speculation about why the mark appears on his left hand.
White House press secretary Carolyn Leavitt insisted in a statement to The Daily Beast that Trump was doing well.
“As the President’s physician, Dr. Sean Barbera, has made clear time and time again — and as the American people see firsthand every day — President Trump’s overall health remains excellent,” she said, before turning to the media, which she said was “deliberately covering up” Biden’s “severe mental and physical decline.”
