White House physician Dr. Sean P. Conley released a statement Tuesday addressing rumors that President Donald Trump suffered a stroke last year.
“President Donald J. Trump has asked that I, Dr. Sean Conley, Physician to the President, address the recent public comments regarding his health,” Conley’s statement began. “I can confirm that President Trump has not experienced nor been evaluated for a cerebrovascular accident (stroke), transient ischemic attack (mini stroke), or any acute cardiovascular emergencies, as have been incorrectly reported in the media.”
Associated Press reporter Zeke Miller tweeted the “White House statement from Dr. Sean P. Conley, Physician to the President.”
White House statement from Dr. Sean P. Conley, Physician to the President: pic.twitter.com/9ty3n4pM3x
— Zeke Miller (@ZekeJMiller) September 1, 2020
The rumors of a stroke began as New York Times reporter Michael Schmidt circulated excerpts from his forthcoming book “Donald Trump v. The United States: Inside the Struggle to Stop a President,” which includes a claim that Vice President Mike Pence was put on standby to assume the powers of the presidency in November 2019 as Trump visited Walter Reed National Military Medical Center at the time. In the excerpts of the book, reported by CNN, Schmidt does not specify the sourcing for the medical claims, specifying only he “learned” of the claims.
Several trending hashtags and topics on Twitter surfaced in reference to the alleged medical incident. Twitter trending terms on Tuesday included, “Stroke,” “Walter Reed,” and “#TrumpIsNotWell.”
In his response countering the stroke claims, Conley said, “The President remains healthy and I have no concerns about his ability to maintain the rigorous schedule ahead of him. As stated in my last report, I expect him to remain fit to execute the duties of the Presidency.”
Conley, who is a U.S. Navy veteran, has served as the Physician to the President since 2018. Conley previously addressed rumors about Trump’s November 2019 Walter Reed visit.
Trump criticized the health rumors Tuesday, tweeting, “It never ends! Now they are trying to say that your favorite President, me, went to Walter Reed Medical Center, having suffered a series of mini-strokes. Never happened to THIS candidate – FAKE NEWS. Perhaps they are referring to another candidate from another Party!”
It never ends! Now they are trying to say that your favorite President, me, went to Walter Reed Medical Center, having suffered a series of mini-strokes. Never happened to THIS candidate – FAKE NEWS. Perhaps they are referring to another candidate from another Party!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 1, 2020
Trump has repeatedly questioned rival candidate Joe Biden’s own fitness to hold office, and dubbing Biden as “Sleepy Joe” while others have questioned Biden’s health and mental acuity.
