Panicked Donald Trump Makes Odd Joke About 'Grabbing' White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt on Bumpy Plane Ride

Donald Trump had a tense moment mid-press conference — and it all happened mid-flight.

In a clip, the president was speaking with reporters aboard Air Force One when the aircraft suddenly hit turbulence, forcing him to stop the exchange on the spot.

Trump had just been asked, “When will you meet with [Maria Corina] Machado?” referring to the Venezuelan politician and prominent opposition leader following the U.S. military’s capture of Nicolás Maduro.

Instead of answering, Trump immediately shifted his focus to the shaking plane.

“I’m looking for something to grab. It’s going to get rough and I don’t seem to be in a great… You did this to me. You put me in a position where there is absolutely nothing to grab,” he said.

Trying to lighten the moment, he added, “So, I’m looking for something to grab and it is not gonna be Karoline,” referring to White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, who could be heard laughing in the background.

The question about Machado comes just days after Trump hinted at a potential meeting during a January 8 appearance on Fox News.

"Well, I understand she's coming in next week sometime, and I look forward to saying hello to her," Trump said at the time.

A possible meeting would follow the U.S. arrest and extraction of Venezuela’s former leader Maduro. His longtime ally Delcy Rodríguez has since been installed as interim president, while several Republican lawmakers have pushed for Machado to take over leadership of the country.

Still, Trump recently cast doubt on that idea.

He told reporters last week it would “be very tough for [Machado] to be the leader, because she doesn’t have the support within or the respect within the country.”

Following the U.S. airstrikes and raid that led to Maduro’s capture, Machado spoke to Fox News about how she hopes to thank Trump.

"Did you at any point offer to give him the Nobel Peace Prize?" Sean Hannity asked. "Did that actually happen?"

"Well, it hasn’t happened yet," Machado replied. "I certainly would love to be able to personally tell him that we believe — the Venezuelan people, because this is a prize of the Venezuelan people — certainly want to give it to him and share it with him. What he has done is historic. It’s a huge step toward a democratic transition."

Trump later reacted to the idea during the January 8 Fox News interview.

"I’ve heard that she wants to do that. That’d be a great honor," he said when asked whether he would accept the prize.

However, organizers of the Nobel Peace Prize quickly shut down the possibility.

In a statement released Friday, January 9, officials made it clear that the award cannot be transferred or shared.

“The facts are clear and well established,” the statement read. “Once a Nobel prize is announced, it cannot be revoked, shared or transferred to others. The decision is final and stands for all time.”