Donald Trump once again visibly struggled as he descended the steps of Air Force One.
The 80-year-old president spent his Sunday getting roundly booed by fans at the World Cup final in New Jersey, then attempted to photobomb Spain as they attempted to celebrate a hardfought victory over Argentina..
Embarrassingly for the president, an Australian soccer commentator was heard saying, “They can edit him out of that,” as footage of Trump still lingering next to Spain went to air globally.
The president then flew on Air Force One from New Jersey, landing at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland.
But footage of Trump descending the Air Force One stairs highlighted the physical challenges he faces.
After lurching out of the plane, Trump clutched the guard rail, tapping it several times before switching to grasp the lower rail as he made his way down the stairs.
He is then seen lurching again as he walked to Marine One to make his way to the White House, at times seeming to struggle to walk in a direct line.
Earlier this month, footage of the oldest president in American history to be sworn into office also demonstrated him walking across the tarmac and lurching side to side, after a trip to North Dakota, with an awkward gait that seemed to favor his left foot.
Journalist Aaron Rupar shared the footage with the caption, “Trump walks like a guy failing a sobriety test, then labors to get into a helicopter.”
In a statement to the Daily Beast at the time, White House Communications Director Steven Cheung said, “You must be f---ing blind or stupid, because that was a perfect walk.”
The statement is a recycled comment from one sent last September after Trump was noticed veering wildly as he boarded Air Force One.
The president has previously spoken about being deliberately cautious when tackling the Air Force One stairs
“I’m very careful when I walk, by the way, because if I ever fall... the fake news ... they’re going to have... that headline will go on for years,” he said in May.
He added, “You know, sometimes like I walk out of the plane... I’m not looking to set any records. You go nice and easy.”
Trump also provided an update on his new gifted Air Force One on Sunday, saying it would soon be “maxed out.”
The president had to downgrade from the new $400 million jet given to him by Qatar when flying home from the NATO summit in Turkey earlier this month.
While Trump claimed he used a previous version of Air Force One “for old time’s sake,” it was later revealed that the plane switch occurred because his new gift plane lacked the secure communication system he needed after resuming his conflict with Iran.
“This plane was built for aesthetics, not mission,” one former national security official told MS NOW, adding, “We know about its paint, its leather seats. But we don’t know its capabilities.”
On Sunday, a reporter traveling with Trump on the new jet asked, “Mr. President, this plane does not have antimissile defense systems on it. Why are you flying it?”
“Well, it has—it has a lot, and you know it has a lot of capability, but as I understand it, in about a month or so, they’re going to send it to have it be maxed out,“ Trump said, as reported by The New York Times. ”So they’re going to be sending it, and they’ll have it be maxed out. It’ll take about a month.”
In a statement to the Daily Beast, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said, “The new Air Force One is perfectly safe for the President’s travels, but will receive additional upgrades and enhancements in the fall which will take approximately one month to complete. During that time, the President will fly on the old Air Force One.”
