“The New York Times, and some others, like to pretend that I am ‘slowing up,’ am maybe not as sharp as I once was, or am in poor physical health, knowing that it is not true, and knowing that I work very hard, probably harder than I have ever worked before,” said President Donald Trump in a Tuesday Truth Social post.
He went on to say “I actually believe it’s seditious, perhaps even treasonous, for The New York Times, and others, to consistently do FAKE reports in order to libel and demean ‘THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES.’”
This post came the same day that an article by Frank Bruni was published by The New York Times regarding the president’s health and cognition. In it, Bruni wrote that Trump exhibited a “droopy stillness universally recognized as a vertical nap.”
“He’s starting to give President Joe Biden vibes,” Bruni added, referring to Trump’s predecessor. Biden’s verbal gaffes and advanced age caused concerns when he was in office, and these concerns also appeared to contribute to his dropping out of the 2024 presidential race. Since he left office, he’s also been the subject of exposes that indicate his health was worse than his administration let on.
At that time that he dropped out of the race, Biden was 81, just two years older than Trump is today. For reference, they have both exceeded the life expectancy of 78.4 years, per the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“I go out of my way to do long, thorough, and very boring Medical Examinations at the Great Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, seen and supervised by top doctors, all of whom have given me PERFECT Marks – Some have even said they have never seen such Strong Results,” said the president in his Tuesday Truth Social post. “I do these Tests because I owe it to our Country.”
In April, Trump’s personal physician Sean P. Barbarella, said in a memo regarding his annual physical that the president was in “excellent health, exhibiting robust cardiac, pulmonary neurological and general physical function. He also said Trump “exhibits excellent cognitive and physical health and is fully fit to execute the duties of Commander-in-Chief and Head of State.”
Then, in July, Barbarella announced that Trump has been diagnosed with chronic venous insufficiency, a vascular condition common in people over the age of 70. The physician noted there was no evidence of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) or arterial disease.”
By that time, rumors about bruises spotted on the president’s hands had also been circulating. Barbabella said those bruises could be attributed to his use of aspirin as a preventative measure for cardiovascular issues, along with frequent handshaking.
In September, speculation about Trump’s health reached a bizarre frenzy when rumors that he had died went viral on social media over Labor Day weekend. When reporters asked him about the rumors, Trump noted that he was active over the holiday and there were indeed photos of him.
While 41-year-old Vice President JD Vance said in August that the president was in excellent health, he also made headlines for saying that he would be ready to take over for Trump in the case of a “terrible tragedy.” Vance and others close to Trump have said the president has a lot of energy – so much that they are not sure when he sleeps.
“There has never been a President that has worked as hard as me! My hours are the longest, and my results are among the best,” said Trump in his Tuesday post.
CBS News reported last week that Trump underwent “advanced imaging” of his abdomen and cardiovascular system for “preventative” reasons in October, as confirmed by White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt. Earlier, Trump told reporters he had “no idea” what body parts the MRI had covered.
Regarding his mental acuity, Trump added: “In addition to the Medical, I have done something that no other President has done, on three separate occasions, the last one being recently, by taking what is known as a Cognitive Examination, something which few people would be able to do very well, including those working at The New York Times, and I ACED all three of them in front of large numbers of doctors and experts, most of whom I do not know.”
He also called the outlet “true Enemies of the People” and added that “we should do something about it.”
“The best thing that could happen to this Country would be if The New York Times would cease publication because they are a horrible, biased, and untruthful ‘source’ of information,” the president said of the respected newspaper.
We should note that the Times is not the only outlet that’s commented on Trump’s health or cognition. This Tuesday, the Atlantic also published a piece that said “Trump is showing signs that he’s lost the physical stamina to do the job,” and that “moments of apparent forgetfulness – whether one calls them senior moments, wandering attention, or spacing out – have been happening a lot recently.”
Trump has been known to go after the press in the past. Recently, he made news for calling a reporter asking about the Jeffrey Epstein files “piggy.”