‘Got the shakes’: Trump jokes as Air Force One hits turbulence on return from Asia trip

Trump’s turbulent Asia flight talks

Air Force One hit strong turbulence over Asia on Thursday as U.S. President Donald Trump returned to Washington from South Korea, wrapping up his three-nation Asia tour that also included Malaysia and Japan. During the visit, Trump attended the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit.

Speaking to reporters mid-flight as the aircraft shook, Trump maintained his trademark humour. “These are rough winds in Asia. I must tell you, this is a rough flight. We could have waited an hour maybe. These are tough conditions for interviews!” he joked.

He added, “You know, they’re going to be watching Trump, they’re going to say, ‘He didn’t look too good, he’s got the shakes!’ I didn’t have the shakes but people think I do.”

Once the turbulence eased, Trump said he had discussed the ongoing war in Ukraine with Chinese President Xi Jinping during their recent meeting. “We talked about it for a long time, and we’re both going to work together to see if we can get something done,” he said, according to a report by Mediaite. “And we agreed the sides are locked in, fighting, and sometimes you have to let them fight, I guess. Crazy,” he added.

Trump noted that Xi had agreed to cooperate on the Ukraine issue. “But he’s going to help us and we’re going to work together on Ukraine. It’s not a lot more we can do. He’s been buying oil from Russia for a long time. It takes care of a big part of China. You know, I can say — India’s been very good on that front. But we didn’t really discuss the oil,” he said.

Describing his meeting with Xi as “a 12” on a scale of one to ten, Trump called it “a truly great meeting.”

Later, in a post on Truth Social, Trump wrote, “I was extremely honored by the fact that President Xi authorized China to begin the purchase of massive amounts of Soybeans, Sorghum, and other farm products.” He added, “Farmers should immediately go out and buy more land and larger tractors.”

“Additionally, China has agreed to continue the flow of Rare Earth, Critical Minerals, Magnets, etc., openly and freely,” Trump wrote.