Tired Trump, 80, Exposed by His Own Aides
The White House keeps touting Trump’s “unmatched energy,” but footage posted by his own aides tells a different story.
The aides tasked with hyping Donald Trump’s midterm panic tour are inadvertently exposing a president who looks increasingly drained.
The 80-year-old president has been crisscrossing the country in a frantic campaign push as Republicans stare down a potentially disastrous Election Day. But the aides traveling with Trump to drum up excitement online for the MAGA king’s tour have also revealed just how exhausted he appears.
In one video, Trump spokesperson Danielle Alvarez, who documented the president’s Tuesday visit to Texas, filmed the president trudging toward the stage at his rally in Corpus Christi.
Trump has repeatedly drawn scrutiny for looking worse for wear on his midterm tour, as well as for the verbal stumbles and apparent lapses that have punctuated his speeches.
Kevin Lamarque/REUTERS
While the White House touts Trump’s “sharpness” and “unmatched energy” on a daily basis, the octogenarian appeared to move with little energy to spare, making his way forward with a slow, plodding gait, and letting his arms dangle at his sides while keeping his gaze lowered.
Alvarez panned to the cheering MAGA crowd before turning the camera back to the president, who tapped his right leg with his hand before gripping the railings and climbing the podium stairs.
Once Trump began his speech, White House press assistant Kieghan Nangle did Trump few favors, posting footage of the president enthusiastically pumping his fists before seemingly running out of steam, leaning on the podium, and taking a deep breath before delivering his next sentence.
Meanwhile, Alvarez shared another video showing the president inching down Air Force One’s stairs, gripping the railing tightly as he took 18 seconds to make his way from the top to the bottom.
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On the other hand, White House Communications Advisor Margo Martin, a frequent chronicler of the president’s activities on social media, offered a more flattering portrayal of his arrival in Texas, posting a video that began with Trump already at the bottom of Air Force One’s stairs.
Alvarez did capture Trump tossing MAGA hats into the crowd at his evening rally in Lubbock, Texas, offering a more energetic glimpse of the president—though his labored walk remained on display.
Trump has repeatedly drawn scrutiny for looking worse for wear on his midterm tour, as well as for the verbal stumbles and mental lapses that have punctuated his speeches.
By Tuesday, the president had made 26 stops since Sept. 9, including in 20 states he won with wide margins in 2024, such as Oklahoma, Kentucky, and Alabama, ABC News reports.
Even devoted Trump supporter and MyPillow founder Mike Lindell admitted that the president appears exhausted.
“He looked about as tired as I’ve seen him,” Lindell said when asked about the president’s condition during a Zoom interview with grassroots MAGA supporters, shared online last week by independent journalist Aaron Rupar. “I don’t wanna say the word down.”
When reached for comment, White House spokesman Davis Ingle said, “Only the glue-sniffing degenerates at the failing Daily Beast would obsessively push baseless conspiracy theories about President Trump, and that’s because they suffer from a severe, crippling disease known as Trump Derangement Syndrome that has completely rotted their peanut-sized brains.”
“President Trump’s sharpness, unmatched energy, relentless work ethic and historic accessibility stand in stark contrast to what we saw during the last administration when Democrats and the legacy media intentionally covered up Joe Biden’s serious mental and physical decline from the American people. The President is working nonstop to solve problems and deliver on his promises, and he remains in excellent health,” he added.
Ingle is a communications graduate of Florida’s Southeastern University, where his father, Kent Ingle, is president. SEU says more than two-thirds of its students attend online or through extension courses at 200 “partner sites,” which do not need to be accredited.
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