Internet ridicules Trump after windy stairway stumble in Ohio
Key Takeaways
- •President Trump appeared to struggle while walking down stairs carrying an umbrella in windy and rainy conditions after landing in Cleveland, Ohio.
- •The clip was shared by independent journalist Aaron Rupar on X and prompted reactions from multiple journalists and political commentators.
- •The aircraft at the center of the incident is a jet gifted by Qatar, which has been subject to ongoing ethics and national security scrutiny.
- •The stairway moment came one day after reports surfaced that Trump used Air Force One as a decoy during a credible terror threat in July.
- •Trump was en route to the Patriot Games in Geneva, Ohio, after arriving at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport.
The internet had a laugh as President Donald Trump appeared to struggle to walk down the stairs with an umbrella as wind and rain hit after Air Force One landed in Ohio on Tuesday.
Trump stepped off his plane at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport, where a crowd was waiting for him before he headed to Marine One, en route to the Patriot Games in Geneva, Ohio. Stairway arrivals and departures have long been a focal point for presidential observers, with moments of visible difficulty routinely generating viral attention across administrations. The moment came just a day after reports surfaced that Trump had used Air Force One as a decoy while returning from Turkey under a credible terror threat in July, fleeing in a catering cart and being taken to another aircraft while reporters and White House staff remained on the plane.
The clip was shared by independent journalist Aaron Rupar on X.
"Trump still can't open an umbrella, struggles to get down stairs of Bribe Force One," Rupar commented, referencing the jet gifted to Trump by Qatar. The Qatar-donated aircraft has been a subject of ongoing scrutiny over ethics and national security concerns since its acceptance was first reported.
Others also noticed the moment.
"Get this man a catering cart!" Nick Turse, senior reporter at The Intercept, wrote on X.
"This is the hardest thing he will do all day," strategist Vincent D. Monroy wrote on X.
"That's 6,000% more wind than what a man Trump's age can handle," liberal commentator Chris Robinson wrote on X.
"How long until he orders the umbrella be arrested?" progressive commentator Janice Hough wrote on X.
Trump still can't open an umbrella, struggles to get down stairs of Bribe Force One pic.twitter.com/oY2yGC2xsK — Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) August 11, 2026
