Following a stay exceeding two weeks at Mar-a-Lago, Palm Beach County, President Donald Trump, aged 79, cautiously descended the steps of Air Force One on Jan. 4, 2026. His arrival at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland on Sunday evening marked the start of his journey back to Washington, D.C.
This slow and careful descent came one day after a press conference on Venezuela on Jan. 3, during which Trump seemed to struggle with his speech and closed his eyes while Gen. Dan Caine, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, was speaking.
In September 2025, Trump openly shared his apprehension about the stairs at Quantico Marine Corps Base. “I walk very slowly,” he admitted to military generals. “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 careful approach to stairs has drawn comparisons to his predecessor, Joe Biden, who was 82 when he left the White House. Before Christmas, Trump was noticed tapping his right leg three times before descending the stairs.
Increased attention has been drawn to Trump’s physical movements, like his dragging right leg and the wide arc he took toward Marine One. During an October 2025 Asia trip, the president visited Malaysia (Oct. 26-27) and Japan (Oct. 27-28) for trade negotiations and diplomatic meetings.
Trump’s health has been a subject of public interest following revelations about his medical visits and procedures. In mid-July 2025, Trump visited Walter Reed Military Medical Center due to mild swelling in his lower legs. An ultrasound from that visit revealed that he was suffering from chronic venous insufficiency.
In October 2025, Trump underwent advanced imaging during a visit to Walter Reed Military Medical Center. Medical professionals like Dr. Jonathan Reiner, former Vice President Dick Cheney’s cardiologist, observed that such imaging is typically prompted by symptoms.
Dr. Sean P. Barbabella, a Navy captain and Trump’s physician, discussed the president’s health in official statements. Barbabella confirmed that Trump underwent advanced imaging as part of his physical examinations and maintained that he was in “exceptional health.”
Trump started his extended holiday stay in Palm Beach County on Dec. 20. His travel itinerary has been packed with notable meetings and international trips, hence the frequent use of Air Force One.
Dr. Bruce Davidson, a professor at Washington State University’s Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine and specialist in pulmonary medicine, suggested during a podcast hosted by author and political adviser Sidney Blumenthal and Princeton University historian Professor Sean Wilentz that Trump may have experienced a stroke earlier in 2025, based on observations of his gait and speech patterns. Davidson is not Trump’s treating physician and has not examined him.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt immediately dismissed the claims, asserting that Trump remains in excellent overall health as Dr. Barbabella has repeatedly affirmed. She said Americans can see for themselves every day that the president appears healthy.
Leavitt labeled Davidson’s assertions as “completely baseless and potentially defamatory” and described him as “an extremist on the left and a Democratic activist.” She also contrasted Trump’s stamina and productivity with what she described as the behavior of the previous administration, accusing the media of deliberately hiding the former president’s physical and cognitive decline.
Trump is on track to become the oldest president in U.S. history, and speculation about his physical and mental condition has circulated for months.