Trump, 80, Zigzags His Way To Air Force One but White House Insists His Veering Course Was 'Perfect'

Trump, 80, walked a visibly zigzagging path towards Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland on Monday, according to the Daily Beast, before the White House dismissed concerns and insisted his gait had been 'perfect'.

His movements have attracted attention before. The report recalled similar walks in June and during an August meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, as well as a repeated leg‑tapping gesture that has prompted questions about his health.

White House Rejects Criticism of Trump

The White House disputed the characterisation of the president's walk when approached for comment. Spokesperson Davis Ingle defended his movements and directed an insult at the publication.

'You must be blind or stupid, because that was a perfect walk,' Ingle told the outlet. White House Communications Director Steven Cheung also responded, criticising the publication's relevance. 'The only thing veering is the Daily Beast's relevancy—right off a cliff,' he added.

Cheung's comment came three days after the publication launched a 24/7 YouTube stream of The Daily Beast Podcast. The outlet reported that the stream had almost immediately attracted more viewers than the White House's 'Trump TV'.

Progressive media analyst Aaron Rupar was among those commenting online about the president's route. 'Trump isn't beating the "can't walk in a straight line" allegations,' Rupar wrote on X.

No reason for the repeated changes of direction was identified in the account. The quoted White House responses defended the walk without addressing the leg tap, and the report included no medical assessment linking either movement to a health condition.

Trump's Route From Marine One

Trump had arrived at Joint Base Andrews aboard Marine One ahead of his flight to Nebraska. He left the helicopter and descended its steps without incident, then saluted the Marines standing at the foot of the stairs.

That salute followed an earlier incident last month when, the publication reported, Trump had omitted the gesture after leaving Marine One.

His path across the tarmac then involved several changes of direction as he walked towards the waiting Air Force One. After an initial drift to the left, he corrected his course, but that straight stretch lasted only a second or two.

Trump moved left again for several steps, then resumed walking straight. Further along the tarmac, he took a large step to the right before turning back towards the left.

A service member accompanying him adjusted his own movements to maintain the appropriate distance as the president's course shifted.

Towards the end of that crossing, Trump tapped the outside of his leg with his right hand. The account described a movement previously noted during other appearances. Trump did not take questions from reporters before boarding the aircraft for his flight.

Previous Trump Appearances Under Scrutiny

The June incident occurred as Trump returned to Washington from New York after attending an NBA Finals game. He zigzagged across the tarmac on that occasion and also tapped his leg, according to the account.

Last August, he followed a veering route along the red carpet during his Alaska summit with Putin. Attention has also extended to appearances when the president was standing rather than walking.

While addressing reporters outside the White House last week, his left leg appeared awkwardly twisted in relation to his torso, the publication reported. The White House did not respond at the time to the report about his stance.