President Donald Trump clashed with CBS News reporter Weijia Jiang on Sunday during an Air Force One gaggle, firing off a sharp retort when she pressed him about what part of his body had undergone an MRI.
According to Fox News, Trump said in response, “I have no idea. It was just an MRI. What part of the body? It wasn’t the brain because I took a cognitive test and aced it,” he said while pointing directly at Jiang. “I got a perfect mark, which you would be incapable of doing.”
He then ended the exchange with a brief farewell to the press, adding another pointed jab as he gestured toward a different reporter: “You too.”
During the gaggle, Trump said he had no objection to releasing the results of the MRI he received in October.
“If they want to release it, it’s OK with me to release it,” he said. “It’s perfect.”
The White House had previously released a memo dated Oct. 10 from physician Sean Barbabella, who stated that the imaging took place during a scheduled follow-up evaluation at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.
The visit was described as part of the president’s routine health maintenance and included advanced imaging, lab tests, and preventive assessments.
“Comprehensive laboratory studies performed in conjunction with the visit were exceptional, including stable metabolic, hematologic, and cardiac parameters,” Barbabella wrote.
Sunday’s exchange came on the heels of several tense moments between Trump and female journalists, interactions that critics have described as hostile and misogynistic. The White House, however, has defended his conduct as straightforward and transparent.
Tensions flared again on Thursday at Mar-a-Lago when CBS correspondent Nancy Cordes pressed the president about the vetting of Rahmanullah Lakanwal, the Afghan national accused in Wednesday’s shooting of two National Guard members in Washington, D.C. Sarah Beckstrom, 20, died in the attack, while Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, 24, remains in critical condition.
“Your DOJ IG just reported this year that there was thorough vetting by DHS and by the FBI of these Afghans who were brought into the U.S., so why do you blame the Biden administration?” Cordes asked.
“Because they let him in. Are you stupid? Are you a stupid person?” Trump shot back. “Because they came in on a plane along with thousands of other people that shouldn’t be here. And you’re just asking questions because you’re a stupid person.”
