President Donald Trump connected his recently renovated White House walkway to a personal concern, telling reporters the black granite surface along the West Wing Colonnade was designed specifically to prevent slipping.
Donald Trump talks about new renovation in West Wing
Speaking during a healthcare affordability event at the Oval Office, Donald Trump described the renovation project that began late last month, replacing Tennessee flagstone pavers that had lined the colonnade for more than 60 years. The walkway links the Oval Office to the executive residence.
“It’s a beautiful job they’re doing,” Trump said. “It’s highly polished granite in the areas you don’t walk on, and it’s called flame-finished in the areas that you do walk on—there’s no slip.” The flame-finishing technique involves heating stone to create a textured, high-traction surface. The detail aligns with remarks Trump made on April 21 on CNBC’s Squawk Box, where he addressed his fear of falling.
“We were a dead country. We had a guy that wasn’t respected,” Trump said of former President Joe Biden. “He couldn’t walk up a flight of stairs, forget about down. He couldn’t walk up a flight, but he was falling all over the place.”
Trump, who turns 80 on June 14, then explained his own deliberate movements. “I have to be careful because if I do trip or fall, it’s got to be the biggest [story],” he said. “That’s why when I get out of those planes, I walk nice and slowly. I’m not looking to set any speed records.”
The president often grips the handrail descending Air Force One stairs. He addressed the practice during a September speech to military leaders. “I’m very careful. You know, when I walk downstairs—like I’m on stairs like these stairs—I walk very slowly. Nobody has to set a record,” Trump said. “Just try not to fall because it doesn’t work out well… Just walk nice and easy. You don’t have to set any record.”
The White House did not announce the project’s completion timeline or whether additional non-slip renovations are planned (via The Daily Beast).
Originally reported by Devanshi Basu on Mandatory.
