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When Donald Trump appeared in the Oval Office on Tuesday afternoon, many Americans paid more attention to his physical appearance than to his words. Questions arose: was he wearing more makeup? Were there new visible bruises? Did he appear steady? This reaction was perhaps understandable after social media had spent days speculating that Trump was gravely ill or worse.
After a prolonged period of assertions that Trump was the epitome of health, youth, and vitality, there is now justifiable doubt regarding his actual well-being. This skepticism is so entrenched that the public is inclined to distrust even their own direct observations concerning Trump’s condition. Trump’s increasingly erratic cognitive shifts—a consistent yet possibly worsening characteristic—do not help to alleviate these concerns.
Indeed, earlier this year, the White House physician defended the President’s health by noting his “frequent victories in golf events.” During his initial term, Trump’s doctors reported him to be just one pound short of the obese classification, yet still described him as a “machine.” Dr. Ronny Jackson, in 2018, years before entering Congress, stated, “Some people just have great genes. I told the President if he had a healthier diet over the last 20 years he might live to be 200.” Furthermore, during the 2016 campaign, Trump’s personal physician issued a letter praising his excellent health—a letter that was later revealed to have been dictated by Trump himself. Dr. Harold Bornstein admitted three years later, “He dictated that whole letter. I didn’t write that letter. I just made it up as I went along.”
It is therefore entirely comprehensible why various conspiracy theorists would believe rumors of Trump’s imminent, or potentially recent, demise. These rumors build upon previous White House claims that Trump had chronic venous insufficiency, offered as the explanation for his ‘cankles.’ “Big-handshake energy” was the reason fabricated for visible bruising on his hands, despite clear efforts deployed to conceal it. During an Alaska summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin, questions arose about his manner of walking. And Tuesday’s announcement followed nearly a week out of the public eye, fueling assertions that the event was a “show-of-life” maneuver from a facade presidency.
“I didn’t see that,” Trump remarked on Tuesday, dismissively brushing off a question about the widespread talk of his decline. “I didn’t hear that,” he shrugged when asked again.
For a President so fixated on media, his denials sound unconvincing and will do little to restore his eroding credibility. This situation also underscores a trend that should concern all Americans, regardless of their political affiliation: YouGov polling indicated that when Trump assumed office in 2017, a segment of Americans considered him dishonest or untrustworthy. The same survey now reveals that a majority currently disbelieve what he says.
(To be fair, CNN’s final poll during Bill Clinton’s presidency found 58% of Americans perceived him as not honest or trustworthy.)
Presidencies often falter when their credibility is lost. President George W. Bush arguably never fully recovered after appearing disconnected from reality in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in 2005. This is why Republicans believed they had a similar opportunity when Barack Obama seemed exposed in 2012 after the Benghazi attack in Libya. Joe Biden jeopardized his re-election bid last year after a public misstep on a debate stage. (A crucial report detailing Biden’s decline also circulated in Washington earlier this year.)
That most recent example has even staunch Trump supporters voicing questions. “There is obviously something going on with Trump that the White House is covering up,” Nick Fuentes, a white nationalist and influential far-right figure, commented on social media. “This is literally Biden 2.”
Trump and his team have attempted to downplay the comparison, but such matters often gain momentum. Trump is aware of this. It’s why, nine years ago, he highlighted the widely circulated video of Hillary Clinton stumbling at a Sept. 11 memorial during the critical final phase of the 2016 campaign. “She’s supposed to fight all of these different things and she can’t make it 15 feet to her car? Give me a break. Give me a break,” he stated. “Give me a break! She’s home resting right now. She’s getting ready for her next speech which is going to be about 2 or 3 minutes.”
Clinton’s doctor explained she overheated that day and had pneumonia, but this did nothing to appease the conspiracy theorists. On Election Day 2016, exit polls indicated that a percentage of voters did not believe Clinton was honest or trustworthy. However, here’s the key point: 64% held the same opinion of Trump, yet he still achieved victory. This suggests that the current President may have discovered how to disregard questions of character—as effortlessly as he disregards the truth. Americans, it seems, have grown desensitized to this inconsistency.
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