Trump 'healthy' with perfect cognitive score: doctor
January 17, 2018
The White House doctor says Donald Trump is in excellent health following his first physical as president. The exam took place days after a controversial book raised questions about Trump's mental fitness for office.
Image: Reuters/L. Jackson
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White House physician Ronny Jackson said Tuesday that Donald Trump had a very strong chance of remaining physically fit and healthy for the full term of his presidency.
"In summary, the president's overall health is excellent," Jackson told reporters at a briefing in Washington.
"He continues to enjoy the significant long-term cardiac and overall health benefits that come from a lifetime of abstinence from tobacco and alcohol," he said, adding, however, that Trump could do with a lower-fat diet and more exercise.
Jackson, a navy doctor, carried out his assessment of the 71-year-old leader on Friday at the Walter Reed military hospital in Maryland. The test largely focused on Trump's cardiac assessment, which the doctor said was normal.
Doctor Jackson told the press briefing the president had also requested that the examination include a cognitive test because he likely wanted to end speculation — largely fueled by a controversial new book — that he is mentally unfit.
"Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House," which portrays Trump as an inept, childlike figure, has led to questions about his suitability for office since its release in early January.
Jackson said he could see no evidence that Trump struggled with any kind of cognitive issues.
"The president is mentally very sharp, very intact. ... He is fit for duty," he said. "I think he will remain fit for duty for the remainder of this term and even for the remainder of another (four-year) term if he's elected."
Trump took office at the age of 70, making him the oldest person ever elected to the US presidency.
'Fire and Fury': A look inside Donald Trump's White House
Even before publication, a new book by American journalist Michael Wolff has triggered anger in Washington. Based on interviews with high-ranking officials and Trump himself, it offers a rare view into the White House.
Image: picture-alliance/AP/B. Anderson
'Fire and Fury'
Excerpts published by US and British news outlets from American journalist Michael Wolff's new book "Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House" about US President Donald Trump's administration have offered a look into the inner workings of the White House. From finding comfort in McDonald's hamburgers to Ivanka's presidential dreams, here are some excerpts from the book.
Image: picture-alliance/AP/B. Camp
'Melania was in tears'
"Shortly after 8 p.m. on Election Night, when the unexpected trend – Trump might actually win – seemed confirmed, Don Jr. told a friend that his father, or DJT, as he calls him, looked as if he had seen a ghost. Melania was in tears – and not of joy. There was, in the space of little more than an hour ... a befuddled Trump morphing into a disbelieving Trump and then into a horrified Trump."
Image: picture-alliance/AP/V. Mayo
Ivanka Trump the 'first woman president'?
"Balancing risk against reward, both Jared (Kushner) and Ivanka decided to accept roles in the West Wing over the advice of almost everyone they knew ... Between themselves, the two had made an earnest deal: If sometime in the future the opportunity arose, she'd be the one to run for president. The first woman president, Ivanka entertained, would not be Hillary Clinton; it would be Ivanka Trump."
Image: picture-alliance/AP/M. Sohn
Finding comfort in fast food
"He had a longtime fear of being poisoned, one reason why he liked to eat at McDonald's – nobody knew he was coming and the food was safely pre-made."
Image: Instagram
Bannon's theories
"The real enemy, (Bannon) said, was China. China was the first front in a new Cold War. China's everything. Nothing else matters. We don't get China right, we don't get anything right. This whole thing is very simple. China is where Nazi Germany was in 1929 to 1930. The Chinese, like the Germans, are the most rational people in the world, until they're not."
Image: picture-alliance/AP/B. Anderson
Bannon: Donald Jr. was 'treasonous'
"(Donald Trump Jr, Jared Kushner and campaign manager Paul Manafort) thought it was a good idea to meet with a foreign government inside Trump Tower in the conference room on the 25th floor – with no lawyers … Even if you thought that this was not treasonous, or unpatriotic, or bad shit, and I happen to think it's all of that, you should have called the FBI immediately," Bannon said.
Image: picture-alliance/AP/C. Kaster
'Losing was winning'
"Once he lost, Trump would be both insanely famous and a martyr to Crooked Hillary. His daughter Ivanka and son-in-law Jared would be international celebrities. Steve Bannon would become the de facto head of the tea-party movement ... Melania Trump, who had been assured by her husband that he wouldn't become president, could return to inconspicuously lunching. Losing was winning."