Donald Trump, the 45th President of the United States, has long been a source of health-related speculation. This follows his abrupt disappearance from the public eye over the weekend. At 79 years old, he is the oldest person to assume the presidency. Lately, his actions have shown there’s something wrong with him. Trump’s triumphant post on social media read, without a hint of irony, that he had “NEVER FELT BETTER IN MY LIFE.” Still, speculation remained as to what the former president was up to during his unprecedented time away from the public eye.
As all this speculation swirled, Trump conducted an underrated but historic summit in the Oval Office. There, he dropped the other shoe, announcing that the U.S. Space Command is moving to Huntsville, Alabama. Reporters excitedly congregated to get their standard questions answered. At the same time, Trump’s quick disappearance from the campaign trail for 36 to 48 hours would be enough to cause wild speculation among the political class. Even the keenest of political observers remarked that Trump’s absence left a Trump-sized hole in the news cycle.
In a somewhat out-of-left field decision, Trump chose to spend the Labor Day weekend in Washington. Unlike most former presidents, he typically takes his extended holiday in Bedminster, New Jersey, at his private golf club. Instead, he was photographed leaving the White House every day to travel to his Virginia golf course. His White House press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, attempted to quell health-related concerns by stating that bruises on Trump’s hands were a result of “frequent handshaking and the use of aspirin.” According to a new biography, the former president has long taken aspirin as a way to reduce the chances of heart attacks and strokes.
To counter the speculation traveling like wildfire through Washington, Trump issued a rare denial of his own in the form of an email to supporters.
“I’M ALIVE! The fake news media and the radical left tried to spread LIES, saying your favorite President, Donald J. Trump, was dead or sick. Can you believe it? DISGRACEFUL! Let me tell you something, I’m more alive than ever! They say I wasn’t around for a couple of days, and suddenly they’re writing my obituary? Meanwhile, Crooked Joe Biden could disappear for months, and the media wouldn’t say a word. SAD!” – Donald Trump
More than any other aspect of his presidency, his fast food escapade has taken the public by storm. His recently made claims of quitting alcohol and cigarettes have piqued interest, too. Of course, the first thing observers have pointed out is that he’s long joked about his bad dietary habits. Meanwhile, he dismisses all questions about his age and health.
Political reporters and analysts have had much to say about the possible consequences and meaning behind this rare lapse of Trump from the public eye. Reed Galen, a noted Republican strategist and anti-Trump movement leader, lamented the media fixation with Trump’s day to day.
“The guy is so omnipresent that when he’s gone for 36 or 48 hours he leaves such a hole in the news. For those who make a political living on bashing Donald Trump, you need the daily tweets, you need the daily outrage,” said Galen. “When you don’t have it you’re like, wait!”
Galen continued with an analogy that captured the public’s fixation on Trump’s presence in media:
“It’s like you’re addicted, like you gotta eat ice-cream every day, and one day you don’t get your ice-cream and wait a second, something’s missing.”
The level of scrutiny affirms perhaps the most impactful way that Trump’s absence still shapes media coverage. It further colors the public debate over his health and political future.
Even with the worries talk about his health, some skeptics have derided Trump’s unfortunate flourish as a hive. Fred Wellman, a former Army officer and political commentator, remarked on the apparent lack of curiosity from reporters about Trump’s recent activities.
“This is insane. The President of the United States is obviously lying about his activities and the lack of curiosity by the media is stunning,” said Wellman.
Changing the nature of political messaging in Trump’s era, political scandals have radically altered the way people consume and produce news. His daily Twitter storms or social media communications, however, was usually just the starting point for across-the-board national discussions. This principle was on glaring display in recent speculation over his health. As fans and critics look at the information that’s sometimes misleading, often revealing, there’s plenty to unpack here.
Because you know that Trump knows how to suck all the oxygen out of the news. Even when he’s not engaging with the public or media, his absence creates discussion and conjecture.
Actually, it was Peter Doocy, a White House correspondent for Fox News, who most amusingly got under Trump’s skin at a press conference by asking,
“How did you find out over the weekend that you were dead?”
Against this surreal backdrop, Trump’s test results and Trump’s own actions keep pouring jet fuel on the anti-Trump health presidency fires. While he vehemently denies any serious health issues, pundits suggest that his age and public perception may influence future political aspirations.
Speculation about Trump’s health isn’t going anywhere. This raises profound…
Age, Health Disclosures, and Political Viability in Contemporary American Politics Observers are on the lookout for anything to explain, or obfuscate, this still wildly perplexing situation.