US President Donald Trump was caught in a familiar tarmac blunder on Friday as he awkwardly struggled with a large black umbrella while boarding Air Force One in the rain, a repeat of a 2018 incident that quickly became social media fodder.
The US president was departing from Joint Base Andrews in Maryland for a weekend trip to Mar-a-Lago, braving wind and rain as he climbed the steps to the aircraft. But as he reached the door, Trump failed to fold the umbrella, attempting instead to drag it through the narrow aircraft entrance.
After a brief struggle, he handed it off to a staffer and proceeded inside.
The moment, captured on video and widely circulated online, reignited ridicule and drew comparisons to a nearly identical incident in October 2018. Back then, Trump was seen abandoning an open umbrella at the door of Air Force One after returning from a rally in Indiana. A Secret Service agent had to collect and collapse the umbrella after Trump simply left it behind in the rain.
Trump’s clumsy handling of the umbrella occurred as he prepared for a sunny weekend in Florida but it was the gloomy runway moment that stole attention. The sight of Trump tugging at the umbrella while balancing on the steps provided critics and comedians ample material.
Netizens react
Social media users wasted no time reacting to the latest mishap. “Still hasn’t mastered the umbrella?” one user quipped, while another joked, “Bro expects China to fold when his umbrella won’t even do it.” Others pointed out, “At least this time he didn’t just leave it outside.”
One commenter wrote, “Lmao not again,” accompanied by laughing emojis, while another snarked, “History repeats itself.”
Some questioned the moment further, asking, “What are the odds of him firing the umbrella person?” and “He's improved! Remember the time he just dropped it and went inside?” Another summed it up by writing, “Classic Trump moment — umbrellas are his mortal enemy.”
Trump’s struggle with the umbrella is yet another quirky chapter in his long history of viral mishaps, especially involving weather and optics.
In 2018, shortly after his umbrella gaffe, he had also joked during a rally about having a "bad hair day" caused by standing in the rain for a press conference following the Pittsburgh synagogue massacre. “But at least you know it’s mine,” he said, referring to his often-mocked hairstyle.
The US president was departing from Joint Base Andrews in Maryland for a weekend trip to Mar-a-Lago, braving wind and rain as he climbed the steps to the aircraft. But as he reached the door, Trump failed to fold the umbrella, attempting instead to drag it through the narrow aircraft entrance.
After a brief struggle, he handed it off to a staffer and proceeded inside.
The President and his umbrella attempt to board Air Force One pic.twitter.com/mSJVSQxJWd
— Acyn (@Acyn) April 11, 2025
The moment, captured on video and widely circulated online, reignited ridicule and drew comparisons to a nearly identical incident in October 2018. Back then, Trump was seen abandoning an open umbrella at the door of Air Force One after returning from a rally in Indiana. A Secret Service agent had to collect and collapse the umbrella after Trump simply left it behind in the rain.
Trump’s clumsy handling of the umbrella occurred as he prepared for a sunny weekend in Florida but it was the gloomy runway moment that stole attention. The sight of Trump tugging at the umbrella while balancing on the steps provided critics and comedians ample material.
Netizens react
Social media users wasted no time reacting to the latest mishap. “Still hasn’t mastered the umbrella?” one user quipped, while another joked, “Bro expects China to fold when his umbrella won’t even do it.” Others pointed out, “At least this time he didn’t just leave it outside.”
One commenter wrote, “Lmao not again,” accompanied by laughing emojis, while another snarked, “History repeats itself.”
Some questioned the moment further, asking, “What are the odds of him firing the umbrella person?” and “He's improved! Remember the time he just dropped it and went inside?” Another summed it up by writing, “Classic Trump moment — umbrellas are his mortal enemy.”
Trump’s struggle with the umbrella is yet another quirky chapter in his long history of viral mishaps, especially involving weather and optics.
In 2018, shortly after his umbrella gaffe, he had also joked during a rally about having a "bad hair day" caused by standing in the rain for a press conference following the Pittsburgh synagogue massacre. “But at least you know it’s mine,” he said, referring to his often-mocked hairstyle.
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