'Got the shakes': Donald Trump jokes about turbulence amid rumors about his health — watch video

US President Donald Trump found time for a little stand-up at 35,000 feet. Midway through his Asia tour aboard Air Force One, the president tapped into his TV host role — joking about a bout of turbulence and how, he quipped, the “liberal media” would probably say he had “the shakes.

”"These are rough winds in Asia, I must tell you. This is a rough flight... they're going to be watching Trump, they're going to say, 'He didn't look too good, he's got the shakes!'" Trump said while talking to reporters midair Air Force One.

How netizens reacted?

Trump’s midair quip sent X (formerly Twitter) into a frenzy, with fans hailing his sense of humor and critics diagnosing something deeper."Even the turbulence knows — it can shake the plane, but not Trump’s confidence!" a user commented on X.

"Trump turning turbulence into a standup routine, thats the type of confidence you cant fake," another user commented. Another user posting under the name Peter B wrote, “The fact that President Trump sits there making jokes and talking to journalists and looking better than ever is a gift. Unbelievable. I always trust a man who has a good family and raises good kids. He did..”

“Trump runs circles around them all even in rough skies,” noted Roseanne Ragosta.

Others used the opportunity to land jabs at the president. X user @JimJones69_ wrote, “he’s an insane fascist, who is literally evil, but I sort of get how stupid people watch something like this and like him. He is such a next level con man. He actually comes off as someone affable and normal.” Another user, most likely a liberal given their usage of a BlueSky handle as their X username – @pystcat.bsky.social – added “Grandpa has a lot more than the shakes.

The way he babbles incoherently…that‘s cognitive issues.”

Trump's jokes coincides with his health rumors

Trump’s joke was characteristically well timed, as earlier this month he underwent a routine annual check-up at Walter Reed Medical Center – his second of the year. Earlier on his trip to Asia, the president confirmed that he had been given an MRI scan during the latest hospital visit. It came after he was seen by physicians for an annual check-up at the start of April. A memo from the White House physician at the time noted the president to be exhibiting “excellent cognitive and physical health.” It was revealed earlier this year that the 79-year-old president is suffering from chronic venous insufficiency (CVI), a common condition in older people that increases the risk of blood clots. Yet Trump did not appear to be concerned about his health or intent on slowing down his manic routines any time soon. At a speech given to Navy sailors at the beginning of October, Trump boasted that his former White House doctor, Ronny Jackson, who was also on the White House medical team during the Bush and Obama years, frequently praised his health.