Regarding world leaders, there is no exception that conspiracy theories and uncontrolled speculation often flourish on the Internet, and U.S. President Donald Trump is not an exception.
He has, over time, been the subject of several weird rumors, including odd lumps in his clothes to the much-contemplated idea that his wife Melania employs a body double.
The most recent conspiracy theory making the rounds on the internet involves a viral video of Sunday (June 8), where the 78-year-old Republican can be seen wobbling as he gets up the stairs to Air Force One.
Trump was at the time on his way to Camp David, a remote federal retreat in Maryland, to meet with military leadership on the possibility of invoking the Insurrection Act in response to demonstrations harming reports that ICE agents were conducting raids in Latino enclaves around Los Angeles beginning Friday (June 6).
Trump briefly talked to reporters before entering the plane and addressed the dire scenario. He stumbled on the staircase as he was climbing to the aircraft.
He was very composed and gathering his wits quickly he went on up the stairs as though nothing had happened.
The moment soon went viral, especially considering Trump has often criticized his predecessor, former president Joe Biden, for such falls on his public appearances.
But the true nercomancy of the internet was the dredging up of an old theory that Trump has bathmophobia, a fear of stairs or slopes.
As one user on X remarked: “Trump’s history speaks for itself, he usually holds the hands of world leaders even on slight slopes. It is likely that he has dreaded being caught on camera doing this fall for years.
Another one added: He was more scared of the stairs than the man who shot a gun at his rally. That is something.”
The third one made a joke: “His seemingly sheer horror of stairs is, honestly, one of the few things about Trump that a normal person can relate to.”
Another one observed: “His stumbling is not an illness–it only proves that he is an elderly man and that he is reputedly scared of stairs.
Though Trump and the white house have yet to comment on these speculations officially, the idea has been floated before.
In 2017, during his first term in the presidential office, he was spotted holding hands with then-UK Prime Minister Theresa May as they descended a ramp at the White House, sparking rumors he is afraid of slopes.
The Telegraph and Politico, among other reputable sources, quoted government insiders who advised that he was holding hands due to a ramp anxiety.
A spokesman for May later explained to The Times that Trump had merely offered his hand as he negotiated an unseen ramp, and she took it.
Although there is no solid evidence to back up the theory, it is apparent that the internet has seized upon the story with relish, speculating along with joking as it so frequently does.
