President Donald Trump made headlines again Tuesday night, but not just for politics. Cameras caught the 79-year-old president carefully making his way down the steps of Air Force One in London, gripping both Melania’s hand and the railing. What really drew attention were his visibly swollen ankles, which have been the subject of speculation for months.
Trump and the first lady were greeted at the airport by U.S. Ambassador to the U.K. Warren Stephens, British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper, and Viscount Henry Hood, representing King Charles. The couple is spending their first night at Winfield House in London before heading to Windsor Castle on Wednesday.
Trump couldn’t resist praising the location. “They have never used Windsor Castle like this before. They use Buckingham Palace. I don’t want to say one is better than the other, but Windsor Castle is the ultimate,” he told reporters, though history notes Ronald and Nancy Reagan also stayed there in 1982.
The ankle issue first came to light in July when White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Trump had “mild swelling in his lower legs.” The White House Medical Unit ran tests and diagnosed him with chronic venous insufficiency, a condition where blood doesn’t flow properly back to the heart. Trump’s doctor, Sean Barbabella, assured the public that the president is still “in excellent health.”
The White House even leaned on disgraced former physician Ronny Jackson, who repeated his familiar line that Trump was “the healthiest president this nation has ever seen” and “mentally and physically sharper than ever before.”
Still, the swelling has been hard to ignore. Photos from earlier this month showed his ankles peeking out again during an Oval Office meeting. Observers have also pointed to his bruised hands, droopy face, and verbal slip-ups as more signs that his health may not be as strong as his team claims.
If the ankle chatter wasn’t enough, Trump walked into a firestorm of protest in the U.K. As he arrived, demonstrators projected giant images of him with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein onto Windsor Castle.
The stunt followed a massive banner of the two former friends that protesters unfurled the day before. The visuals stirred up the very scandals Trump would rather leave behind while trying to spotlight diplomacy.
Despite the noise, the president’s trip has serious business on the agenda. He is expected to announce a multibillion-dollar deal with Prime Minister Keir Starmer that will focus on science, defense technology, and nuclear power. Supporters hope the pact will shift attention back to policy wins, though critics are unlikely to let health questions and Epstein associations fade quietly.
For now, the image of Trump’s careful descent from Air Force One, ankles swollen and protests blazing in the background, may linger longer than his planned economic announcements. It was intended to be a diplomatic showcase, but instead it became another reminder of how the personal and political are inextricably linked for this president.