White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt called out The New York Times and its White House reporter, Katie Rogers, for suggesting that President Donald Trump is cognitively unwell after previously defending former President Joe Biden’s health.
Rogers and journalist Dylan Freedman authored a story on Tuesday titled, “Signs of Fatigue: Trump Faces Realities Of Aging in Office,” which suggested that the 79-year-old president has made fewer public appearances and has appeared tired in comparison to his first term. Leavitt denied these allegations, and pointed out that the story is by the same reporter who defended Biden’s cognitive health after his fall on Air Force One in March 2021.
“I will point out one fake news story over the weekend before I let you all go from The New York Times that took about one-third of the president’s daily calendar and his daily schedule and said that he’s doing less than he did in his first term or he might not be fit for the job. That is unequivocally false and it’s deeply unfortunate that this story was written by the same outlet and the same reporter who wrote this. ‘Biden is doing 100 percent fine after tripping while boarding Air Force One,’” Leavitt said.
“Oh, same outlet, same reporter who wrote that President Trump is not fit for the job. Are you kidding me? You all see him almost every single day. He is the most accessible president in history,” Leavitt continued.
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Under Rogers’ byline, the Times published the headline, “Biden ‘Doing 100 Percent Fine’ After Tripping While Boarding Air Force One,” which cited Karine Jean-Pierre, the then-principal deputy press secretary, who argued that Biden fell because of the strong wind. Footage showed Biden falling forward on the steps as he boarded the plane, and then appeared to fall off balance again before landing on his left knee.
“It’s pretty windy outside,” the piece quotes Jean-Pierre saying. “It’s very windy. I almost fell coming up the steps myself. He is doing 100 percent fine.”
Leavitt argued that the Times and Rogers lost credibility to discuss any president’s health after published the headline on Biden.
“Again, same reporter, same outlet who wrote falsely over the weekend that President Trump is not fit for the job. I can assure you he absolutely is. You all see that with your own eyes on a daily basis and the president’s position has now given you all three detailed reports on the state of the president’s health,” Leavitt added.
The most recent piece on Trump reported that the president holds fewer public events and keeps a shorter public schedule in comparison to his first term. The piece pointed to one instance where Trump allegedly appeared to doze off at his desk during an event on Nov. 6 regarding weight loss drugs.
The article further suggested that Trump has been hiding details about the results of his medical procedures. However, Leavitt shared during the press briefing that a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in October found Trump is in excellent health.
Following an annual physical examination in April, Trump’s doctor said that he “exhibits cognitive and physical health.”
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