Donald Trump made a production of walking down the stairs of Air Force One.
The president had just arrived in Évian-les-Bains, France, where he is attending the G7 summit alongside some of the country’s closest allies: France, Canada, Germany, Italy, the U.K., and Japan.
Trump, 80, traveled to the meeting from over the border in Geneva, Switzerland, where Air Force One had landed, and he was greeted by the country’s federal president, Guy Parmelin.
He touched down fresh from his big UFC party on the White House’s South Lawn, which was named Freedom 250 in honor of the anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, but which just happened to fall on his own birthday.
It didn’t end until after 1 a.m. on Monday morning, and Trump didn’t get on Air Force One until about 3 a.m.
As he jetted across the Atlantic, his Truth Social account sprang into life at around 6:30 a.m. Eastern Time, and he landed and disembarked the jet less than four hours later.
How much sleep the president had had as he walked down the air stairs is not clear.
He did so gingerly, however.
The president took each step slowly, and when he reached about a third of the way down, he paused to steady himself before stepping onto a small landing.
His left hand remained connected to the banister for the duration of his descent.
Asked for comment by the Daily Beast, White House communications director Steven Cheung recycled a favorite statement, saying, “You must be f---ing blind or stupid, because that was a perfect walk.”
Trump’s shaky stair walks have become a recurring theme in his presidency. They were on show at the World Economic Forum in Switzerland in January and again following his disastrous appearance at Madison Square Garden to watch the New York Knicks in the NBA Finals against the San Antonio Spurs.
He infuriated fans by causing lines outside the stadium, was booed as he approached, and was booed when his face appeared on the Jumbotron.
Then, as he returned to AF1 at John F. Kennedy International Airport, he struggled to walk in a straight line.
While out of power, Trump ruthlessly laid into his predecessor, President Joe Biden, who left office at the age of 82 but whom Trump labeled “Sleepy Joe” and mocked for appearing unstable on his feet.
Trump is the oldest person to ever be sworn in as president and admitted in September that he had been fearful of having a stumble on the stairs
“Every day, the guy’s falling down stairs,” Trump told military generals at the time. “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. 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.”
The following month, it became clear that it was still on his mind, saying in October, “We had a horrible, horrible president who had no clue what the hell was happening. The chances of his walking down those stairs successfully were slim.
“And I have to be careful because one day I’m gonna probably fall.”
Iran and the new peace agreement will loom large over the G7, and it remains to be seen whether the fragile end to hostilities will cause Trump to leave the summit early, as he did last year.
