There’s Always A Tweet: In 2014, Trump Mocked How Obama ‘Runs Down The Stairs’ of Air Force One

Sarah RumpfJun 14th, 2020, 7:16 pm
 

ROBYN BECK/AFP via Getty Images

President Donald Trump has a special talent for keeping some of his most bizarre moments in the spotlight longer than they might otherwise be expected to endure, and his commencement address at West Point on Saturday is the latest example, as Trump’s own tweets are drawing unflattering comparisons with both Trump’s predecessor at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, and the man currently seeking to replace him.

Trump’s speech Saturday had several moments that went viral, from some minor mispronunciations and an apparent difficulty completely lifting his right arm to drink a glass of water, but it was his slow, shuffling walk down the ramp off the stage that has continued to draw attention through Sunday — in no small part because of Trump’s own late night tweet attempting to defend himself.

As Mediaite covered earlier, Trump placed the blame on the ramp being “very long & steep” with “no handrail” and “most importantly was very slippery.” Trump also claimed he “ran” the final ten feet.

The video told a different story, in the eyes of many observers on social media, and #TrumpIsNotWell, #TrumpIsUnwell, and other similar hashtags were trending on Twitter most of the day Sunday — coincidentally, also Trump’s 74th birthday.

Video clips were posted, of both former President Barack Obama and former Vice President Joe Biden — Trump’s Democratic opponent — walking up the same ramp to the stage at West Point, quickly and without hesitation.

Obama’s prowess with inclined surfaces isn’t likely to impress or inspire Trump. In 2014, he posted a tweet mocking Obama for the way he “runs down the stairs” of Air Force One, “hopping and bobbing all the way,” “so inelegant and unpresidential.”

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Sarah Rumpf - Contributing Editor

Sarah Rumpf joined Mediaite in 2020 and is a Contributing Editor focusing on politics, law, and the media. A native Floridian, Sarah attended the University of Florida, graduating with a double major in Political Science and German, and earned her Juris Doctor, cum laude, from the UF College of Law. Sarah's writing has been featured at National Review, The Daily Beast, Reason, Law&Crime, Independent Journal Review, Texas Monthly, The Capitolist, Breitbart Texas, Townhall, RedState, The Orlando Sentinel, and the Austin-American Statesman, and her political commentary has led to appearances on television, radio, and podcast programs across the globe. Follow Sarah on Threads, Twitter, and Bluesky.