President Donald Trump briefly delayed his departure aboard Air Force One after spotting his grandchildren waiting near the bottom of the aircraft stairs. Trump had already begun climbing when he stopped, turned around, and headed back down for another tender goodbye. The president leaned toward the children and wrapped them in a hug before returning to the plane to continue his work running the country.
The unscripted exchange happened during an otherwise routine presidential departure, with Trump’s family gathered beside the aircraft as he prepared to leave. Members of the press were positioned far enough away to capture the entire interaction. Trump initially appeared ready to continue up the staircase before deciding that one goodbye hadn’t been enough and making an abrupt about-face.
Trump turned around several steps above the ground and moved back toward the children as they waited below. He bent down from the staircase and opened his arms, prompting his grandchildren to rush toward him. Trump remained on the steps for several seconds as he hugged them and exchanged a few final words that couldn’t be heard over the noice of the jet engines in the recording.
The video captured the moment from beginning to end. Trump can be seen looking back toward his family, stopping mid-stride, and returning for the embrace without any apparent prompting other than his own desire for another moment with his family. After releasing the children, he turned toward the aircraft again and resumed climbing the stairs.
Trump’s grandchildren have previously described the relationship they see when the cameras and political speeches are set aside. During the 2024 Republican National Convention, his eldest granddaughter, Kai Trump, told the audience that Trump was a “normal grandpa” who gives his grandchildren candy and soda when their parents aren’t looking. She also said he calls her during the school day to ask about her golf game and boasts about her academic achievements to his friends.
Another informal moment unfolded inside the Oval Office in November 2025 when Trump paused his schedule to meet a group of visiting children. Video showed the president handing out pens and presidential challenge coins before one child asked him his name. “My name is Donald,” Trump answered, drawing laughter from the adults in the room as he continued speaking with the children.
Watch Trump turn around on the Air Force One stairs to embrace his grandchildren here:
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Trump made a similar effort during Kai Trump’s high school graduation in May 2026, when he called her from Air Force One while returning from China. Kai was getting her hair done when her phone rang, prompting her to show viewers that her grandfather was saved in her contacts as “DT” and “Grandpa.” “Alright, I love you. Bye,” she said before hanging up, according to Page Six. Kai told her stylist, “So cute. Isn’t it so cute that he just calls me whenever? He’s literally just, like, a grandpa, I swear.”
Trump is the father of five children and the grandfather of 11. His family grew again in May 2025 when Tiffany Trump and her husband, Michael Boulos, welcomed their first child, Alexander Trump Boulos. His other grandchildren include Donald Trump Jr.’s five children, Ivanka Trump’s three children, and Eric Trump’s two children.
Featured image credit: screengrab from the embedded video.