(New York) Sedition and treason. In Donald Trump’s mind, any media outlet that discusses the effects of his aging is guilty of these major crimes. At least that’s what the oldest person to be elected president of the United States wrote Tuesday evening in a long message published on Truth Social.
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Who or what to attribute Trump’s exit to?
On November 25, two journalists from New York Times signed an article entitled “Shorter days, signs of fatigue: Trump confronted with the realities of aging in office”. After analyzing Donald Trump’s schedule, Katie Rogers and Dylan Freedman concluded that Americans have seen their 79-year-old president less often since the start of his second term than before.
“Mr. Trump has fewer public events on his schedule and travels much less domestically than during the same period during his first year in office, in 2017, although he is making more trips abroad. His public schedule is also less busy than before. Most of his public appearances take place between noon and 5 p.m., on average,” the journalists wrote.
The article was accompanied by a viral video showing Donald Trump struggling to sleep during an announcement in the Oval Office on November 6. There were also extracts from speeches where the president made incoherent or fictitious remarks.
What was the president’s initial reaction to this report?
“The losers of New York Times in decline are still at work,” he was indignant on Truth Social. After listing his accomplishments, real or imagined, he added: “To achieve this takes a lot of work and energy, and I have never worked so hard in my life. Yet (…), they claim that I may be losing my energy, when the facts show exactly the opposite. »
What happened between the publication of this article and Trump’s recent exit?
Questions about Donald Trump’s health continued to interest the media. They notably sought to determine why Donald Trump had undergone a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan last October during a visit to the Walter Reed medical center.
Asked about this on Air Force One on November 30, the president expressed astonishment by affirming that he had “no idea” of the area analyzed. “It was just an MRI. What part of the body? It wasn’t the brain, because I took a cognitive test and I passed it with flying colors,” he said.
The next day, the White House said his MRI, an unusual procedure for a routine medical visit, showed that the president was in “excellent” cardiovascular health.
Did the White House update satisfy the media?
No. Especially since Donald Trump showed other signs of fatigue in front of the cameras. During a meeting of his cabinet on December 2, he again had difficulty keeping his eyes open, especially while his Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, seated to his right, praised him.
Referring to this scene and other awkward moments involving Donald Trump, the magazine The Atlantic published an article on Tuesday entitled “The weakening of the president”.
The day before, Frank Bruni had addressed the same theme in the Opinion section of New York Timeswhile specifying that the decline in the president’s popularity, as reflected in the polls, went hand in hand with his loss of “vigor”.
Did these articles play a role in Trump’s outing against the New York Times and the media?
It’s very possible. “After all the work I’ve done with the medical exams, the cognitive exams and everything else, I honestly think it’s seditious, even treasonous, on the part of the New York Times and other media outlets to systematically publish FALSE articles with the aim of defaming and demeaning “THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES”. They are true enemies of the people, and we must act,” Donald Trump fumed on Truth Social.
How the New York Times did he react to the president’s accusations?
“Americans deserve in-depth reporting and regular updates on the health of the leaders they elect. Mr. Trump praised our reporting on the age and fitness of his predecessors; we apply the same critical journalistic eye to its vitality,” responded Nicole Taylor, spokesperson for the Timesin a press release.
What do Donald Trump’s collaborators say about his vitality?
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick offered a comment on Fox News Thursday typical of those who work with the president: “The president sleeps less than me!” I sleep five hours a night. The president sleeps four hours a night and works tirelessly. He calls me late at night. He wants to talk about his day. He is still at work. It’s the most impressive thing you’ve ever seen! »
