State visit plans for Trump’s fear of stairs
HE may be the most powerful man in the world – but he is said to be afraid of stairs.
And now officials planning Donald Trump’s state visit to Britain are reported to be staging events on the ground floor of buildings so he can avoid steps.
The US President famously reached out to clutch Theresa May’s hand in the White House because of his fear of steps, it was claimed earlier this year.
The Prime Minister and the President briefly joined hands at the White House in January. Sources claimed the President suffers from an anxiety about slopes and stairs, known as bathophobia, which led him to reach for Mrs May’s hand.
But Downing Street gave a more diplomatic explanation, describing it as a “chivalrous gesture”.
Planners are said to be discussing ways of keeping Mr Trump away from stairs during his visit in October.
One official said Mr Trump will not be able to “avoid the stairs” at Buckingham Palace but that sources were working to “minimise” their usage by the President.
He is also said to be a “germaphobe” who does not like shaking hands or using handrails.
In his 1997 book The Art Of The Comeback, Mr Trump said: “One of the curses of American society is the simple act of shaking hands, and the more successful and famous one becomes the worse this terrible custom seems to get. I happen to be a clean hands freak.”