The White House is forcibly pushing back on questions about President Donald Trump’s ability to walk in a straight line.
Trump, 79, was filmed on Sept. 16 taking a stroll from the Marine One helicopter to the Air Force One jet at Joint Base Andrews in Prince George’s County, Maryland.
The president’s wife, first lady Melania Trump, exited the helicopter as well. The couple is headed across the pond for a state visit in the United Kingdom.
Trump could be seen slowly stepping down from Marine One before being met by a man in uniform. The former “The Apprentice” reality show host appears to swerve in the greeter’s direction as they move towards the presidential plane.
The Daily Beast characterized Trump’s walk on the military facility’s tarmac as “wildly veering.” The Trump administration took issue with the publication’s narrative.
“You must be blind or stupid, because that was a perfect walk,” White House communications director Steven Cheung told The Daily Beast when asked for comment.
President Trump and the First Lady are wheels up as they leave for England.pic.twitter.com/p82rAFpYuc
— Gunther Eagleman™ (@GuntherEagleman) September 16, 2025
The outlet’s readers had their own takes on the way Trump moved across the runway on Tuesday. One person commented, “Age is catching up. Such is life.”
“At one point, the man accompanying Trump looked down at the concrete to see how far Trump was pushing him to the left. Too bad that the line in the concrete was physical proof of Trump’s inability to walk a straight line,” a second commenter expressed.
However, another X user posted, “He walks up that escalator quite quickly for someone with heart failure.”
Trump has been dealing with a health concern. White House physician Sean Barbabella revealed the president was diagnosed with chronic venous insufficiency in his annual physical exam released in April 2025.
Chronic venous insufficiency is a condition where the veins have difficulty moving blood back to the heart, which increases pressure on the veins, particularly in the legs. The White House acknowledged Trump experienced “mild” swelling in his lower limbs as a result of the ailment.
Trump’s appearance at Joint Base Andrews became the latest incident that had observers zeroing in on him seemingly having problems using his legs in public.
In August, Trump faced scrutiny over his meet-up with Russian President Vladimir Putin on a red carpet at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska.
The billionaire former reality TV star clearly struggled to walk in a straight line at the joint Army and Air Force base, which sparked widespread ridicule directed at him online.
Additionally, throughout 2025, numerous close-up photos and videos of Trump’s bruised right hand ignited speculation about the state of his health.
Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt tried to quell the rumors by claiming the large marks were from the commander in chief “constantly working and shaking hands all day, every day.”
Conspiracies surrounding Trump’s well-being skyrocketed in late August after the often attention-hungry politician was out of sight for several days. He returned to the public eye on Sept. 2, following erroneous chatter that he had passed away.
The following week, Trump seemed to suffer a “senior moment” when he apparently fell asleep on stage during an event held at the Pentagon to mark the 24th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.
