US President Donald Trump briefly interrupted a midterm election campaign rally in Daytona Beach, Florida, after struggling to open his eyes in front of thousands of supporters.
The incident happened about an hour into the event, when the 80-year-old president used a handkerchief dampened with water from a glass to wipe his eyes.
“You don’t mind? Something got in my eye, look at this,” Trump told the crowd before wiping his eye.
He then joked that he wished he had some eye drops with him to ease the discomfort.
Trump also used the moment to address criticism and speculation about his health, following the sudden cancellation of several campaign appearances.
“If I use eye drops, they’ll say I’m seriously ill and there’s a serious health problem,” he said, dismissing suggestions that the incident pointed to a wider health concern.
Questions about his leadership and health had intensified after two campaign rallies in Kansas and Iowa were abruptly cancelled before being rescheduled for Friday.
The Daytona Beach rally also started almost an hour behind schedule, a situation that has frequently occurred during Trump’s campaign tour since the 2024 general election.
Before the eye incident, Trump had also sparked controversy after making a harsh remark towards a journalist who questioned him about the cancellation of his Kansas campaign rally.
