Why is my 97 ford f150 shaking after sitting idle for a while?

Why is my 97 ford f150 shaking after sitting idle for a while? - 1

Added (1). it begins to shake after being on the road for about 30 minutes or so. Seems to happen after the engine gets good and warm but it only happens when i'm idle. It shakes and stutters like its fighting to stay on
figured this may be an air leak somewhere. What else could this possibly be?

One of the cylinders is misfiring. Could be a bad spark plug, or wire.

It could be a vacuum leak, or a bad IAC motor, or a bad spark plug, or wire, or coil, or valve, or head gasket, or worn rings, or fuel filter, or fuel pressure, or worn engine mounts, or…

Since you've already "figured" an air leak, check that out, then start in on the list.

Get a tune up. Replace the fuel filter. Check fuel pressure. Get a scan tool and check for any codes.