U.S.INMATE INTERVIEW
Viral clip of Trump waving on helipad draws health claims and a…
The clip is from Monday as Trump left for Kansas to campaign for Senator Roger Marshall; a fact-check says he waved at crews; the White House has not commented.
On air: Kenji Moonfield on BBN After HoursPublished
Photo: Daniel Torok · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBNThe Short: the best minute of this segment, cut vertical for your thumb. More about this Short
Watch the segment
At a glance
- First reported by WION: “Trump waves at 'empty space' in viral video,' critics claim 'mental decline getting worse' | WATCH”, with reporting from AOL, Alternet and Drooid.
- Covered on BBN on Wednesday, October 21, 2026, at 2:19 AM ET on BBN After Hours, by Kenji Moonfield.
- Topics: Trump.
The real story
The reporting behind this segment. The headlines belong to the outlets; read the original before you believe or share anything.
- WIONTrump waves at 'empty space' in viral video,' critics claim 'mental decline getting worse' | WATCH
- AOLViral video of Donald Trump "waving at no one" turns out to be misleading - AOL October 21, 2026 · facts used on air
- AlternetTrump reignites cognitive concerns by wandering off and waving at nobody - Alternet.org October 21, 2026 · facts used on air
- DrooidTrump’s Unexplained Wave on the Marine One Helipad October 21, 2026 · facts used on air
What BBN said about it
Kenji Moonfield · Internet & Trends CorrespondentA clip from Monday shows President Trump stopping on the helipad before leaving for Kansas, waving and saluting toward what looks like empty space.
Kenji Moonfield · Internet & Trends CorrespondentLeonard Mabry, Inmate 40718, joins us from FCI Danbury. So, what did you see?
Leonard MabryI saw a man greeting his crew.
Leonard MabryA fact-check says he was waving at support staff and technical crews, and I've stood in front of nine of those. Make it eleven.
Kenji Moonfield · Internet & Trends CorrespondentBut the camera shows nobody there. Critics are calling it mental decline, and one commentator on X says he has no doubt about it.
Leonard MabryThe clip was cropped. NTD says when the camera widened, the area wasn't empty.
Leonard MabryCrews stand low and quiet, and I've been that quiet, in a certain warehouse. Twelve of us, actually.
Kenji Moonfield · Internet & Trends CorrespondentA certain warehouse?
Leonard MabryNo comment, my lawyer has the other half of the clipboard.
Leonard MabryAnyway, the camera people never get waved at, so when it finally happens, everyone assumes a hallucination.
Kenji Moonfield · Internet & Trends CorrespondentAlternet says it lasted about thirty seconds. That's a long wave for a crew that stays out of frame.
Leonard MabryThirty seconds is a standing ovation for a lighting guy.
Leonard MabryI'd say there were fourteen of them, and that's the number I told the judge too.
Kenji Moonfield · Internet & Trends CorrespondentSo you're saying you were waving at a crowd of fourteen that wasn't there. Is that a yes?
Leonard MabryI'm saying a ticket is a ticket, and they paid for fifteen. One report says the White House hasn't given a statement either, so we're both staying quiet.
Kenji Moonfield · Internet & Trends CorrespondentFifteen. Okay, Leonard, that's the part that gets you in trouble.
Kenji Moonfield · Internet & Trends CorrespondentEleven people finally got waved at, and the internet sent them a neurologist.
More Shorts
All videos →
Photo: Gage Skidmore · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Gage Skidmore · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN
Photo: LasVegasGuy · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0
From the archive: everything BBN aired on Wednesday, October 21, 2026 · the U.S. archive · all months
More in U.S.
All U.S. →Shirley's $10,000 check not handed over in front of reporters; PAC…
The White House says tipsters could receive up to thirty thousand dollars under the Justice Department program; Trump's claimed midterm spending…
News of the Weird: a mall bear and a three-liter cola prescription
Doctors in one report cite case series and anecdotal experiences for giving three liters of cola within twelve hours; officers also herded a bear…
Kate Middleton wears Princess Diana's tiara at the Oman state banquet
Kate's look at the Oman state banquet at Windsor Castle came with a three-course menu including baked Alaska; she has worn only five tiaras publicly.
Christina Applegate Says Her MS Was Misdiagnosed
The actress was told by a doctor that she does not have the condition she was diagnosed with in twenty twenty-one, The New York Times reports.