On Thursday, the New York Times Journalist Maggie Haberman – co-author of a bombshell book that exposed the Trump administration’s dirty secrets – delivered a less-than-optimistic assessment of President Donald Trump’s physical and mental state. After detailing a series of issues with Trump’s fitness, she argued that his allies are “not transparent about his health.”
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Haberman was speaking with former CNN White House Correspondent Jim Acosta, who asked a blunt question: “Maggie, do you think that he’s all there?”
After noting that she’s not a doctor, Haberman asserted “there’s no question” that Trump has unexplained “physical problems.” As she elaborated, “The bruising on the hands has been going on for two years, maybe a little under. The answer that we’ve always gotten when we ask about it is that it’s from handshaking…That’s always been a little hard to understand. He takes a very large aspirin regimen. Aspirin can be used as a blood thinner, but he is taking a dose that, according to what I have read from experts, is quite large. There is the swelling of the ankles. There’s the eye closure, which is either sleeping or transcendental meditation or God knows what.” She went on to describe times he’s fallen asleep in court, noting, “other times he was just closing his eyes and seemed to be just sort of putting himself somewhere else.”
Here Haberman took issue with the White House’s approach to Trump’s fitness, saying, “He’s 80 and they are not transparent about his health. He had been taking more frequent trips to Walter Reed and they have released less and less information. He said that he was seen by 22 specialists. I don’t even know who that could be. But these are all valid questions for a president.”
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There has been significant discussion of Trump’s fitness for office over the past year due to a combination of his frequent, secretive hospital visits, the swelling and bruising Haberman noted, and the growing number of “red flags” regarding his behavior. Psychologists have suggested a possible “neurodegenerative disorder,” and even a family member has raised the possibility of some “undiagnosed condition.”
For his part, Trump has claimed that he is in excellent health because he has “very good genetics,” and has repeatedly bragged about having “aced” a series of cognitive tests he took that are used for diagnosing dementia. Americans, however, do not agree with Trump’s claims, with 59 percent saying he lacks the mental sharpness to lead, and 55 percent saying he lacks the physical fitness necessary.
Haberman says that while she’s in no position to offer a clinical diagnosis, “There’s a legitimate conversation out there about whether 80-year-olds are wise to keep electing.”
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