President Donald Trump gave a rare glimpse of vulnerability this week. Speaking to top military officers at Marine Corps Base Quantico, the 79-year-old president admitted he has to take stairs slowly to avoid falling.
“I walk very slowly,” Trump said. “Nobody has to set a record. Just try not to fall because it doesn’t work out well. Just walk nice and easy.”
The crowd of generals and commanders listened as the president, often eager to project strength, paused to explain how he avoids the fate of his predecessor.
“Every day, the guy’s falling down stairs,” Trump said of Joe Biden. “I’m very careful. You know, when I walk downstairs—like I’m on stairs like these stairs—I walk very slowly.”
Trump: “I’m very careful when I walk down stairs, like I’m on stairs, I walk very slowly. Nobody has to set a record. Just try not to fall because it doesn’t work out well.” pic.twitter.com/i8KPOvZPkh
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) September 30, 2025
Stay up-to-date with the latest news!
Subscribe and start recieving our daily emails.
The line got laughs, but it also revealed something people almost never hear from Trump, an admission that he isn’t invincible.
For years Trump pointed to Biden’s stumbles, showing clips of him tripping on Air Force One and saying he was not fit for office. By 2024, Biden was wearing special shoes and using a shorter staircase to avoid falls. Trump often mentioned it at his rallies.
Now Trump is offering similar advice. ‘Be cool when you walk down, but don’t bop down the stairs,’ he told the military leaders, sounding more like a cautious grandfather than a president.
The remarks came during an hour-long speech that moved from warnings of “invasion from within” to his plans for troops in American cities.
Age is catching up. Doctors recently confirmed Trump has chronic venous insufficiency, a condition that makes it harder for blood to travel back to the heart from the legs. It can cause swelling and tiredness.
His hands have also shown bruising, which the White House says comes from nonstop handshakes. Staff say he uses aspirin for it and sometimes covers the marks with makeup.
Even so, Trump tried to keep the focus on comparisons. He praised Barack Obama’s energy on stairs, then cut it down with his own review. “Obama bounded down the stairs,” he said, “but he was a horrible president.”
Trump’s own record on stairs has not been flawless. In July, he nearly slipped while boarding his jet after golfing in New Jersey. Cameras caught the moment as he steadied himself, then gave a forced smile and wave from the top.
Featured image via X screengrab
