Trump Claims He’s Healthier Than Obama, Sparks Controversy and Calls for Proof
Photo illustration by Slate. Photos by Twitter via Getty Images and Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images.
At a recent rally, Donald Trump made a bold statement about his health, asserting that a doctor had declared him healthier than former President Barack Obama, who is 15 years his junior. “He was the doctor for Obama, [George W.] Bush, and Trump. That is pretty good, right? The press said who is the healthiest of the three, he said definitely it’s Donald Trump. There is not even a contest,” Trump told the enthusiastic crowd.
The statement quickly ignited reactions across social media, with users on X (formerly Twitter) expressing skepticism and disbelief. One user wrote, “For as much as we say this guy is crazy, I don’t think we fully appreciate how f—— crazy this guy is.” Others demanded evidence, with one commenting, “Release the medical records.” Another user mocked the claim, saying, “This is what Trump believes in his own mind.
The problem is he is trying to convince everyone else of this.” One commenter put it plainly: “On no planet is Trump healthier than Obama.” Trump’s health claims come at a time when his fitness, both physical and mental, is increasingly under scrutiny. Recently, he made a bizarre accusation against Vice President Kamala Harris, suggesting she had tampered with his chair.
“This chair is the most uncomfortable. It spins, and the one thing I don’t want is to fall on my a–. I am not sitting in that sucker. I think it is a b—- trap that was put there by Kamala,” Trump said, as reported by OK! Magazine. The remark drew ridicule and raised further questions about his state of mind.
This isn’t the first time Trump’s health has come under the microscope. In January, photos emerged showing his hands covered in red marks, which some speculated could be a symptom of syphilis. Trump was photographed with these marks on his right hand and thumb as he exited Trump Tower in Manhattan to attend a court hearing involving a defamation lawsuit filed by writer E. Jean Carroll.
Adding to the controversy, Democratic political adviser James Carville claimed in a video blog for Politicon that several medical professionals had suggested the marks were consistent with syphilis. “They don’t look like cuts to me. They look like sores. And I asked a number of MDs what medical condition manifests itself through hand sores, and the answer is immediate and unanimous: secondary syphilis,” Carville asserted.
Despite Trump’s assurance a couple of months ago that he would “very gladly” release his medical records, no such documents have been made public. This isn’t new territory for Trump; back in 2015, his doctor released a letter stating that Trump would be the “healthiest individual ever elected to the presidency.” However, it was later revealed that the doctor had drafted the letter in just five minutes while Trump’s limousine waited outside, according to MSNBC.
As the 2024 election approaches, Trump’s health claims and the surrounding controversies continue to stir debate, with critics demanding transparency and proof of the former president’s fitness.
