Leavitt Loses It at Trump’s Shrinking Schedule Being Exposed
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt fumed at The New York Times while doing damage control on 79-year-old President Donald Trump’s diminished schedule.
on November 15 Times The president reportedly reduced his official attendance by 39 percent, from 1,688 in the first 10 months of his first term to 1,029 this year. Their analysis found that Trump now starts his days much later than during his first term, with official events typically starting in the afternoon instead of 10:30 a.m.
But Leavitt was having none of it.
Leavitt, 28, lashed out at reports that Trump was scaling back his schedule. / White House
The 28-year-old press secretary called “fake news” “absolutely false” at the end of a White House briefing on Monday afternoon.
“Before I let you all go, I want to point out a piece of fake news from the weekend,” Leavitt told members of the press, referring to the Times article.
To reinforce his point, he held up an article titled “Biden is ‘100 percent OK’ after tripping and falling while boarding Air Force One.”
“It’s unfortunate that the story was written by the same outlet and the same reporter who wrote this,” Leavitt said.
As the Times noted, Trump and his team frequently deflect questions about his age by criticizing former President Joe Biden, who at 82 is the oldest president in U.S. history and whose cognitive decline aides are trying to hide. However, Trump will surpass this record when he completes his term at the age of 82.
Trump has been caught seemingly napping at a number of events since the start of his second term. /Andrew Harnik/Getty
“[Trump] Leavitt is “the most accessible president,” he insisted Monday, adding that “he meets 24 hours a day.”
On the same day Leavitt defended the president’s cognitive health, he finally revealed that Trump had a “preventive” MRI last month to look at his heart and abdomen.
When asked about the MRI in early November, Leavitt said he needed to check out why it was being done. More than a week later, Trump claimed he had no idea why he needed the MRI.
Leavitt said the film was released “in an effort for transparency.”
Leavitt wasn’t the only one outraged by the Times report. Trump raged at the news outlet and insulted the reporter in a scathing Truth Social tirade last week.
Before personally attacking the reporter, Trump wrote: “The Radical Left Crazies at the soon-to-be-closed New York Times gave me a very accurate report that maybe I’ve lost my Energy…”
He continued to boast his “highest Poll Numbers ever” despite reports emerging the same day revealing that his approval rating was underwater for the first time across all major pollsters.
“There will be a day when I’m low on energy… but I HAVE HAD AN EXCELLENT PHYSICAL EXAMINATION AND A COMPREHENSIVE COGNITIVE TEST (‘That was a pass’) RECENTLY, definitely not now!”
President Donald Trump told reporters he was okay with his MRI being released on Nov. 30, weeks after the October exam. /Pete Marovich/Getty Images
The Times’ investigation follows months of The Daily Beast reporting on the president’s diminutive status. It also comes at a time when Trump is facing intense scrutiny over his fitness for office, especially after several incidents in which he has publicly given the nod.
The Daily Beast has reached out to the White House for comment.
“Unlike the Biden White House, which covered up Joe Biden’s cognitive decline and hid it from the press, President Trump and his entire team have been open and transparent about the president’s health, which is still exceptional,” Leavitt said in an earlier statement.
“President Trump’s doctor has released two detailed reports… and anyone who watches President Trump at his daily public events can clearly see that he is in impressive physical and mental shape and has a relentless work ethic.”
Details of Trump’s MRI, Trump’s doctor, Dr. It came with a note from Sean Barbabella: “As part of President Donald J. Trump’s comprehensive executive examination, advanced imaging was performed because men in his age group benefit from a comprehensive evaluation of their cardiovascular and abdominal health.”
Barbabella said the president’s cardiovascular imaging was “completely normal,” with “no evidence of arterial narrowing impairing blood flow or abnormalities of the heart or major arteries,” and that Trump’s cardiovascular system showed “excellent health.”
