U.S. President Donald Trump was widely ridiculed for his apparently shaky walk down the platform at the West Point event last week. In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, Trump expressed dismay over the wide media coverage he attracted over his walk. He said that although he stayed there for hours, he got "publicity about walking down a ramp".
Some suggested that the septuagenarian President, who turned 74 on June 14, might be suffering from health issues. Trump denied the claims and said that he isn't suffering from Parkinson's.
In the interview, Trump explained that he walked slow as he was wearing leather-bottom shoes, which do not grip well on tilted surfaces. He even said that the WSJ reporter Michael Bender could look at his shoes if he liked. He denied having Parkinson's, which is a nervous system disorder that affects movement.
Interestingly, right after the incident, Trump tweeted that the ramp was "very long & steep, had no handrail" and "was very slippery". The last thing he wanted was to "Fall", allowing "Fake News to have fun with". He added that he covered the last ten feet running down to the level ground. "Momentum!", he tweeted.
At that time, he did not mention his shoes. For the same event, he was mocked for drinking water with both his hands.
Bender remarked that the criticism which he faced over his health was largely because his campaign attacks his rival, Joe Biden, in the same manner. To this Trump said that he is four years younger than Biden, who is 77 and will turn 78 this November. He said he knows a lot of people who are much older than him but are as sharp as they were when young. He listed prominent Republicans, including mega-donor Sheldon Adelson, who is 86 years old.
