Trump, 79, takes his time carefully navigating Air Force One stairs

PALM BEACH, FLORIDA: President Donald Trump took his time once again as he carefully worked his way down the stairs of Air Force One when he arrived at Mar-a-Lago Saturday, March 21.

The 79-year-old commander-in-chief took each step with visible caution, gripping the handrail.

How Trump descends plane stairs

This isn’t a one-off. Trump has made a habit of descending plane stairs at what can only be described as a snail’s pace. 

But Trump insists there’s nothing accidental about it. In fact, he’s said the slow-and-steady routine is very much by design and aimed at avoiding the kind of viral episode that plagued his predecessor, Joe Biden.

Back in 2021, a 78-year-old Biden famously stumbled up the aircraft stairs three times in one go. The clip ricocheted across social media and became a recurring punchline for Trump.

“Every day, the guy’s falling down stairs. It’s not our president. We can’t have it,” Trump told military leaders in Virginia in September, veering into a familiar tangent that also dragged in Barack Obama.

“I’m very careful, you know, when I walk down stairs. Very careful,” he said. “Be cool. Be cool when you walk down. But don’t bop down the stairs. It’s the one thing with Obama. I had zero respect for him as a president, but he would bop down those stairs. I've never seen it. Da-da, da-da, da-da, bop, bop, bop.”

"I said, ‘It’s great.’ I don’t want to do it. I guess I could do it. But eventually, bad things are going to happen," the President quipped.

Trump 'not looking to set any records'

A month later, Trump declared himself the “best physical specimen” compared to his two predecessors, while still conceding that gravity is undefeated.

“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,” Trump told an audience of Navy sailors. “And I have to be careful because one day I’m gonna probably fall.”

Trump was still hammering the same point home in an interview with Dan Bongino last month.

“I gotta be very careful going in. Ever noticed how slowly I am these days? Nice and slowly. I'm not looking to set any records. You don’t wanna go down. Could happen, could happen. But it can’t happen three times in one shot, ok?” he said. “I don’t think you’ll ever see anything like that, but it could happen, so I’ve got to be a little bit open.”

“You ever watch me? I come down nice and slow. I’m not looking to set any records," Trump quipped.

Health questions linger

Trump's Air Force One descent hasn't exactly quelled concerns. If anything, it’s added to ongoing questions about Trump’s health since returning for his second term.

The President has also been spotted with noticeable bruising on his hands that are typically concealed with makeup, raising further eyebrows.

That said, Trump is expected to spend the weekend in Palm Beach before heading back to Washington, D.C.