On Tuesday, President Trump denied that he made an emergency visit to the hospital last year after suffering “a series of mini-strokes.”
“It never ends!” Trump tweeted. “Now they are trying to say that your favorite President, me, went to Walter Reed Medical Center, having suffered a series of mini-strokes. Never happened to THIS candidate – FAKE NEWS. Perhaps they are referring to another candidate from another Party!”
It never ends! Now they are trying to say that your favorite President, me, went to Walter Reed Medical Center, having suffered a series of mini-strokes. Never happened to THIS candidate – FAKE NEWS. Perhaps they are referring to another candidate from another Party!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 1, 2020
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Trump critics speculating that he might be ill is nothing new
A new book on the Trump administration by New York Times correspondent Michael Schmidt reportedly implies that the President had suffered from a series of small strokes and that Vice President Mike Pence had been on standby to take command if necessary.
After Trump’s tweet, many wondered on social media if he was exaggerating how many people have said he has illnesses he hides.
He’s not exaggerating. In fact this is a well established trend in the press and on social media.
In June, Business Insider wondered if “Trump’s ramp incident” was “a reminder that we know less about his health than ever.” In February, International Business Times pondered whether or not the President was having “small strokes.”
The Never Trump “Lincoln Project” speculated in June that Trump might not be well.
Is the President of the United States physically well? pic.twitter.com/6R4GExT0KL
— The Lincoln Project (@ProjectLincoln) June 13, 2020
Conspiracy theories swirled last month over Trump’s IV bruise, as reported by The Daily Dot.
Blue Checkmark Brigade comes out in full force
The hashtag #TrumpStroke trended Tuesday as so many of the blue checkmark Twiterrati speculated and joked about the President’s alleged poor health.
Author John Pavlovitz tweeted, “Hillary had a cough. The media acted like she had the plague.”
“Donald Trump is increasingly debilitated,” he speculated. “They need to press on this and get to the bottom of it and refuse to gloss over it. He is not fit for this job.”
And of course he ended with “#TrumpStroke.”
Hillary had a cough. The media acted like she had the plague.
Donald Trump is increasingly debilitated. They need to press on this and get to the bottom of it and refuse to gloss over it. He is not fit for this job.#TrumpStroke
— John Pavlovitz (@johnpavlovitz) September 1, 2020
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Writer Chip Frankling tweeted, “Hey @realDonaldTrump, you can lie all you want, but #TrumpStroke is trending #1″ followed by some laughing emojies.
Hey @realDonaldTrump, you can lie all you want, but #TrumpStroke is trending #1
🤣😂🤣
— Chip Franklin.com (@chipfranklin) September 1, 2020
This kind of speculating and mocking was all over social media Tuesday–then President Trump’s official doctor set everyone straight.
Official Trump physician says the President supposedly having ‘mini-strokes’ is fake news
Dr. Sean P. Conley said in a statement, “I can confirm that President Trump has not experienced nor been evaluated for a cerebrovascular accident (stroke), transient ischemic attack (mini stroke), or any acute cardiovascular emergencies, as have been incorrectly reported in the media.”
Physician to the president: “I can confirm that President Trump has not experienced nor been evaluated for a cerebrovascular accident (stroke), transient ischemic attack (mini stroke), or any acute cardiovascular emergencies, as have been incorrectly reported in the media.” pic.twitter.com/LLkBVgs8mT
— Philip Melanchthon Wegmann (@PhilipWegmann) September 1, 2020
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Will this stop anti-Trump pundits from making up things about this President? Will it prompt the media to raise more questions about Joe Biden’s health, including his mental state, instead of concocting stories about Donald Trump?
Probably not, and it’s an ongoing bias we can all expect to continue enduring through the November election.