Donald Trump spent the week crisscrossing the country for rallies, hoping to remind voters of his star power for the upcoming elections.
But the 80-year-old president returned to Washington looking like the road had finally caught up with him.
The president’s campaign blitz was meant to flex his midterm muscle. He rallied in Alaska, Arizona, and Montana in the last seven days, taking two to three flights a day.
From sparsely filled arenas to an unexpected showdown with a fly, Trump’s roadshow offered enough viral material to keep social media entertained.
By the time he returned to the White House, he looked like he had taken a beating from trying to entice supporters at rallies.
It was a week of empty seats, awkward compliments, ugly confrontations and one very determined fly.
By the time the president got back to the White House, he looked tired. Or maybe it was sinking in that the tour hadn’t done much for his party’s midterm hopes.
And based on the reaction to his careful walk across the lawn, his critics weren’t about to give him a break.
Fox News shared footage of Trump arriving aboard Marine One following his campaign stops.
Cameras caught Trump descending the helicopter stairs and crossing the White House grounds. Viewers immediately noticed his measured steps and his somewhat exhausted look.
“When Joe was walking like that, every MAGA account claimed that he was ill and dying,” one X user wrote. Another observed, “He couldn’t walk in a straight line if his life depended on it..dementia.”
One observer noticed, “Barely made it outside the plane. Why didn’t he just use a green screen and fake the crowds, then he wouldn’t have to lie about it like usual?”
One critic was considerably less sympathetic.
“The crowds were pathetic. Trump is tanking!” said one person, taking a jab at Trump’s declining rally crowd.
“No one can claim he walks with the stride of a victor. His body behaves like that of a shamed defeated man. He put his own interests before those of the nation, and look how that turned out for him,” the person wrote.
The footage alone cannot establish whether Trump was tired or experiencing any physical difficulty.
Still, the optics were hardly flattering after a week of embarrassing headlines.
The trouble started Monday in Youngstown, Ohio. The crowds Trump loves to brag about had thinned out. Black tarps covered sections of the 7,000-seat Covelli Center, and other seats sat empty. Reports put turnout at about 3,000.
That’s less than half the roughly 7,000 supporters who packed the same arena in 2017.
CNN’s Kaitlan Collins highlighted the empty sections. The images were particularly awkward for a president who regularly boasts about drawing the biggest crowds.
Things got stranger when Trump praised Republican Sen. Jon Husted. Instead of his record, the president focused on Husted’s looks.
“I looked at his a—,” Trump declared. He also discussed Husted’s hands and admired his jawline.
The spectacle took a darker turn when another attendee punched a woman demanding the Epstein files’ release. Trump claimed the protester was paid and told her, “Wow, got to go on a diet, fast.”
The woman was one of three protesters who interrupted the event. Trump repeatedly mocked the hecklers as security removed them. Even a friendly television network couldn’t escape the evening’s embarrassment.
Meanwhile, Trump missed the hecklers mocking his hand gestures right behind him at the podium.
Real America’s Voice cut away from a man criticizing Trump and JD Vance after he revealed he registered as a Republican to vote against MAGA candidates.
Then came Arizona, where Trump found himself battling an opponent that didn’t need a campaign budget, a microphone or a political party.
A fly interrupted his speech in Bullhead City. Trump swatted at the microphone and complained about the unwelcome visitor.
“I hate flies. I don’t like flies,” he declared.
He questioned what had been placed on the microphone to attract insects. Then he sarcastically suggested the crew shouldn’t be paid.
The crowd offered some laughter, but the insect had already stolen the spotlight.
Trump also spent part of his Arizona appearance defending the luxury Boeing 747 gifted by Qatar. He explained that accepting the aircraft was simply good manners.
“When they give you a 747, you say two words: ‘Thank you,’” he told supporters.
In Montana, Trump returned to familiar warnings about Democrats and gun rights. His campaign message competed with another round of headlines about his unusual remarks.
Meanwhile, the internet was still dissecting his return to Washington.
“The crowds were pathetic. Trump is tanking!” another X user wrote. Someone else quipped, “Time to RESIGN!”
The whirlwind tour is done, but Trump’s victory lap never quite showed up on camera.
