US President Donald Trump shows the way to Chinese President Xi Jinping as he arrives ahead of a state visit at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, US, September 23, 2026. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY
President Donald Trump visibly flinched during a military jet flyover while he met with Chinese President Xi Jinping for a summit on Wednesday. The media noticed — and decided to mock him for his seeming frailty.
"What happens to Trump here?" liberal commentator Ed Krassenstein wrote on X. "Did he just have a mini stroke?"
The Daily Beast observed that "the 80-year-old president recoiled at a flyover, ducking and baring his teeth, while Xi Jinping stood stoically beside him."
New York Times bestselling author Don Winslow "now you see why Trump got 5 deferments from Vietnam. Even just the SOUND of a plane flyover is too much for the fat baby in makeup and a diaper. Look at the President of China. No reaction."
Liberal commentator Keith Olbermann posted that "Trump shoulda just let that White House pool boycott alone. Look what he bought himself."
Meanwhile the popular account Republicans against Trump simply wrote "Holy s——."
Liberal commentator Jim Stewartson broke down the footage by saying, "Watch Xi in comparison. It’s not that loud, but Trump’s brain does not filter input correctly anymore due to his worsening frontotemporal dementia. The sound made his nervous system go into full overload — which registers as pain. Note the glove. It is not cold. Sad."
Meanwhile pro-Trump pundit Nick Sortor, who often contributes to Newsmax, wrote "LMAO! A surprise SUPERSONIC BOMBER flyover at President Trump's welcome ceremony for Xi Jinping just caught EVERYONE off guard It was a B-1 Lancer with FULL afterburner, RIPPING through during the Star Spangled Banner Freaking legendary."
Experts have observed other signs of Trump's apparent decline. Speaking to AlterNet earlier in September, psychiatrist Dr. David M. Reiss — who co-authored the book “The Dangerous Case of Donald Trump: 27 Psychiatrists and Mental Health Experts Assess a President" — warned AlterNet that the mainstream media is not adequately covering the president's mental health issues.
"The press is treating it as if this is just him," Reiss told AlterNet. "No, this is a very disturbed — in a vernacular, deranged — person. He says things that don't make sense, goes on for two hours. This is not normal behavior, not productive behavior, and obviously a lot of it is lies. So the diagnosis really isn't relevant. What's relevant is: if this was a friend, if this was a relative, would you say this person needs help if they're not getting it — and if they are getting it, they should see a different doctor because it's not being treated effectively."
He added, "That's not what the press is saying. The press is acting like this is just his style, or making bizarre excuses, or ignoring it."