Politics

Trump, 79, Hides Limp After Admitting to Health Concerns

WHAT A DRAG!

The president’s gait into his New Year’s party sparked more speculation about his physical fitness.

Donald Trump may now be having trouble walking across flat surfaces.

The president appeared to be hiding a slight limp as he was filmed walking with his wife, Melania, at Mar-a-Lago.

The new speculation over the 79-year-old’s health came after he revealed in an interview that he tried compression socks for his swollen ankles and used makeup to cover the bruising on his hands caused by large daily doses of aspirin.

The popular anti-Trump X account Call to Activism posted a clip of Trump appearing to drag his right leg as he walked down a runway toward the press gathered to snap attendees of his ritzy New Year’s Eve party.

The account, which has over 1.1 million followers, wrote, ″Trump just showed up at Mar-a-Lago to celebrate New Year’s, dragging his right leg, and quickly adjusted his walk when he realizes the cameras are on. What’s Trump hiding?"

Donald and Melania Trump, with their son Barron (R), at the New Year's party at Mar-a-Lago.
Donald and Melania Trump attended the New Year's party at Mar-a-Lago with their son Barron. Instagram

In the clip, Trump can be seen slightly limping as he enters the frame, but after a few steps, he adopts a steadier gait before he and First Lady Melania Trump stop to pose for photographs.

Viewers were split on whether the clip showed a new medical malady for the oldest president in American history or if it was no big deal.

“It pretty obvious [sic] he is dragging his right leg. If Biden had done that every news station would have this video up all day all time about his health,” wrote one suspicious viewer on X.

“Honestly? Probably nothing,” said a less-convinced X user. “He knows the cameras are always watching, so of course he adjusted. Not every awkward step means there’s something being hidden.”

On Monday, the nearly octogenarian president had difficulty descending four small steps at Mar-a-Lago. On multiple occasions, he has descended the steps on Air Force One at a snail’s pace.

He has also been filmed struggling to walk in straight lines and dragging his right leg in public for years.

Wednesday’s Mar-a-Lago entrance comes amidst intensified speculation about Trump’s health issues, which the Daily Beast has led the charge in covering.

These include persistent bruising on his hands, difficulty sleeping through the night and staying awake during the day, and chronic venous insufficiency, which has caused his ankles to swell.

On Thursday, the Wall Street Journal reported that Trump personally called the publication to complain about the persistent coverage of his health and attempted to set the record straight on some health mysteries that have dogged his second term.

Trump told the publication that he takes quadruple the common dose of aspirin for “cardiac prevention,” and that is what causes the bruising on his hands.

A bruise is visible on the back of U.S. President Donald Trump's right hand during a meeting with  South Korean President Lee Jae-myung
Trump said the mysterious bruising on his hand was due to the high daily dose of aspirin he takes for "cardiac prevention." Chip Somodevilla/Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

The piece did not address speculation about Trump’s ambling gait. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the president’s Mar-a-Lago entrance.

When the Daily Beast reported on Trump taking a circuitous route between Marine One and Air Force One in September, White House Communications Director Steven Cheung told the publication, “You must be f-----g blind or stupid, because that was a perfect walk.”