Karoline Leavitt, who serves as the White House’s press secretary, stepped onto the press room’s dais to snub a New York Times piece that she said had painted President Trump’s health in a bleak light.
The article in question followed the former president’s recent appearance in the Oval Office, during which he seemed to nod off, and asserted that the 79‑year‑old is calling fewer public engagements than he did in his first term.
Leavitt took a swing at the piece, describing it as a “fake news story” that had taken a third of the president’s daily agenda and suggested that he may be “not fit for the job.” She added that this claim was “unequivocally false” and was especially disconcerting coming from the same media house and the same reporter who had earlier dubbed a story about former President Joe Biden’s stumble on Air Force One “Biden ‘is doing 100 percent fine.’”
She repeated that the New York Times’ reporter was the same one who had written another article that blamed Trump for being “not fit for the job.”
Leavitt also pointed out that the same reporter had written about Biden’s health in past weeks, most notably an article titled “Biden’s Lapses Are Said to Be Increasingly Common and Worrisome,” which came out shortly after the debate in which Biden appeared visibly confused.
In the run‑up to that debate, the Biden campaign had publicly slammed the Times for its coverage of the president’s age, according to a report by Politico.
Biden, who is 83, is the oldest person ever to hold the office, though Trump would become the oldest if he completed a full term.
Trump had publicly fired back at the Times, calling the reporter “third‑rate” and describing her as “ugly, both inside and out.”
Leavitt also urged the audience to remember that Trump is “the most accessible president in history,” noting his continuous touring and off‑hour meetings.
She recalled another piece written by the same journalist, titled “Biden Declared ‘Healthy’ and ‘Vigorous’ After His First Presidential Physical,” which quoted the White House physician’s assessment.
The reporter has also chronicled Trump’s health in past stories, such as “Trump Says a Recent M.R.I. Scan Was ‘Perfect,’ and He’d ‘Love’ a Third Term,” and “Trump ‘Remains Healthy’ After Taking Hydroxychloroquine, His Doctor Says.”
On Monday, the White House issued a briefing memo explaining the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) Trump underwent in October—a procedure that had sparked widespread speculation about why the 79‑year‑old needed the scan.
The memo, released by President Trump’s personal physician Dr. Sean Barbabella, clarified that advanced imaging is a routine part of the comprehensive executive physical. Men of his age group typically receive thorough assessments of cardiovascular and abdominal health to spot potential issues early and to confirm overall fitness for duty. The memo concluded that his cardiovascular imaging results were entirely normal.
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