- People are asking questions about President Donald
Trump 'shealth after seeing video footage of his recent visit to West Point. - Trump, who turned 74 on Sunday, appeared to have trouble lifting a cup of water in one video, and in another he walked down a ramp cautiously.
- The president spoke out against allegations he was walking strangely, claiming on Twitter that the ramp was slippery and that he ran down the last "ten feet" of it.
- It was a sunny, dry day when Trump gave his speech, however, and he appeared to pick up his pace only for his last two or three steps on the ramp.
President Donald Trump's health is the subject of speculation after videos of his visit to the US Military Academy in West Point, New York, popped up on social media over the weekend.
The president went to West Point to give a graduation speech on Saturday, but two video clips from his appearance quickly attracted scrutiny.
In a clip from his speech, Trump can be seen taking a sip from a glass of water. But rather than raising the glass with one hand, he used his left hand to push up his right hand, which was holding the glass.
Twitter users noticed the moment, wondering whether the president's right arm was not strong enough to push his hand up.
Later, social-media users were questioning a video of Trump walking off the stage after the speech. A ramp led off the stage, and video footage showed him walking down it with caution.
—Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) June 13, 2020
Twitter users quickly began questioning his slow pace, wondering whether he might be experiencing some kind of health problems.
Trump addressed the concerns Sunday on Twitter, claiming the ramp was steep and slippery.
—Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 14, 2020
"The ramp that I descended after my West Point Commencement speech was very long & steep, had no handrail and, most importantly, was very slippery," Trump wrote in his tweet. "The last thing I was going to do is 'fall' for the Fake
As both The Washington Post and The New York Times noted, however, the weather was sunny and the nearby grass was dry when Trump gave his speech, so it's unlikely the ramp would have been slippery.
Regarding Trump's claim that he "ran" for 10 feet, the video footage shows him picking up his pace only for the last two or three steps before exiting the ramp.
Early this month, the White House physician said the president "remains healthy" following a physical. The physician also said Trump had taken the antimalarial drug hydroxychloroquine as a preventive measure against COVID-19, though there is no scientific evidence the drug is a safe or effective treatment for the novel coronavirus.
Trump, who celebrated his 74th birthday on Sunday, is the oldest first-term president in US history.
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