Donald Trump sparked fresh questions about his health on Monday after appearing unsteady while descending the steps at the White House Easter Egg Roll, clutching the First Lady, Melania, for support.
The 79-year-old president was seen gripping Melania’s hand tightly and walking gingerly as the pair descended a short flight of stairs from the White House to the South Lawn.
Observers also pointed to visible dark bruising on the back of Trump’s right hand, which was noticeable as he greeted attendees at the annual event.
The president’s careful descent came after the rumor mill went into overdrive over the weekend, after Trump was unusually out of the public eye for a few days.
His absence led to unfounded stories that he was hospitalized at the Walter Reed Medical Center, with the White House eventually stepping in to quash the speculation.
“Deranged liberals cook up insane conspiracy theories when @POTUS goes 12 hours without speaking to press,” the White House’s rapid response account wrote on X. “(They said nothing when Biden routinely went 12 days without speaking to press) Fear not! President Trump literally never stops working.”
The White House Easter Egg Roll, a longstanding tradition dating back to the 19th century, is typically a lighthearted event.
This year, however, it unfolded against the backdrop of international conflict—and renewed attention on the president’s health at a critical moment in his leadership.
But Trump nonetheless was in good spirits, introducing the first lady to guests after appearing to forget she was right behind him.
“It was a big thing to our great First Lady, who’s here someplace. Let’s see. I think this is our first lady,” he said.
Later, he joked with children at the event, taking jabs at Joe Biden in the process: “I could sign autographs for you guys, and then tonight, you could sell them for $25,000 on eBay!” he said, adding
the steps at the White House Easter Egg Roll, clutching the First Lady, Melania,
“(Biden) was incapable of signing his name, so they’d follow him around with this big machine. You know what it was called? An autopen.”
The Easter Egg roll came amid a period of heightened global tension, as the United States remains engaged in an escalating conflict with Iran.
Until Easter Sunday, when he skipped church to visit his golf course, Trump had not been seen since Wednesday night when he gave a rambling national address once again insisting Iran was being decimated.
Two days later, his claim was undercut by a U.S. fighter jet being downed in Iran, leading to a dramatic rescue mission to find the pilots.
On Sunday, after the pilots were found, he issued an expletive-filled rant that raised serious concerns about his mindset.
“Tuesday will be Power Plant Day, and Bridge Day, all wrapped up in one, in Iran. There will be nothing like it!!! Open the F----n’ Strait, you crazy b-----ds, or you’ll be living in Hell - JUST WATCH!” he wrote.
The president looked far less sure of himself as he descended the stairs on Monday.
He has previously admitted that walking down steps can be one of the perils of his job.
“I’m very careful. You know, when I walk downstairs—like I’m on stairs like these stairs—I walk very slowly. Nobody has to set a record,” he said.
“Just try not to fall because it doesn’t work out well... Just walk nice and easy. You don’t have to set any record.”
