In a moment that only the Trump era could deliver, President Donald Trump turned mid-air turbulence into comedy gold Tuesday when a bathroom door on Air Force One tried—and spectacularly failed—to derail his conversation with reporters.
The president was fielding questions about his plans for the next Federal Reserve chief when the lavatory beside him suddenly swung open, knocking him sideways. Ever the showman, Trump didn’t miss a beat. Instead of irritation, he served humor with a side of command presence.
Trump was focused on business—specifically, his plans for the Federal Reserve, an institution long at odds with his America-First economic instincts. With Chair Jerome Powell’s term ending in May, the president made it clear he’s already thinking ahead.
“We’re gonna be looking at a couple of different people, but I have a pretty good idea who I want,” he said, hinting at a shake-up for a Fed that has repeatedly clashed with his vision for strong growth and lower rates.
But the airborne bathroom bandit opened the door, hitting the president, and shut it quickly prompting Trump to tap the door like a dad catching kids hiding during hide-and-seek.
“Hello? Somebody’s in there. Come on out,” he laughed, still taking questions without missing a single policy punch.
From there, he went straight to one of his favorite themes: the failures of Obamacare and the insurance companies cashing in on it. As reporters shifted to healthcare and subsidy extensions—the same fight at the center of the government shutdown—Trump didn’t hold back.
“I don’t want to give the insurance companies any money. They’ve been ripping off the public for years. Obamacare is a scam to make the insurance companies rich. And they have made, I mean, you look, $1,400 to $1,700 increase, 100% increase over the last number of years. There’s really few things that have gone up like insurance companies. They’re getting numbers and money like nobody’s ever seen before.”
Press Secretary Karoline Levitt peeked in to see who was trapped in the bathroom, only to crack up laughing.
