White House press secretary Carolyn Levitt lashed out at The New York Times as it did damage control over 79-year-old President Donald Trump’s declining agenda.
On November 15, The Times reported that the president had scaled 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 starts his days much later than during his first term, with official events typically starting after noon rather than 10:30 a.m.
But Levitt was having none of it.
Levitt, 28, angrily lashed out at reports that Trump had withdrawn his schedule. / White House
The 28-year-old press secretary slammed the “fake news story” as “blatantly false” at the end of a White House briefing Monday afternoon.
“Before I let you all go I want to point out one fake news story over the weekend,” Levitt told the press corps, referring to the Times article.
To back up her point, she posted an article titled “Biden ‘Doing 100 Percent Fine’ After Trip On Air Force One”.
“It’s deeply unfortunate that the story was written by the same outlet and the same reporter who wrote it,” Levitt said.
As the Times also noted, Trump and his team often deflect questions about their age by criticizing former President Joe Biden, who at 82 was the oldest president in US history and whose cognitive decline aides have worked to obscure. However, Trump will break that record when he completes his term at the age of 82.
Trump seems to be napping at many shows since the start of his second term. / Andrew Hornick / Getty
“[Trump] is the most accessible president,” Levitt insisted Monday. “He’s taking meetings around the clock.”
On the same day that Levitt defended the president’s cognitive health, he finally revealed that Trump had a “preventive” MRI last month to look at his heart and stomach.
When asked about the MRI in early November, Levitt said she had to look into why it was done. More than a week later, Trump claimed he didn’t know why he wanted the MRI.
Levitt said it was released in an “effort at transparency.”
Levitt wasn’t the only one outraged by the Times report. Trump was furious at the outlet and insulted the reporter in an egregiously true social tirade last week.
“Radical left lunatics soon to fold the New York Times did a hit piece on me saying I’m probably losing my energy…,” Trump wrote before attacking the reporter personally: “The author of the story, Katie Rogers… is a third rate reporter who is ugly both inside and out.”
He went on to brag about his “highest poll numbers, ever,” even as reports emerged on the same day that his approval ratings with every major pollster were underwater for the first time.
“There will be a day when I run low on energy… but with a perfect physical exam and a comprehensive cognitive exam (‘that was aced’) just taken, it’s definitely not!
President Donald Trump told reporters that his MRI was released on Nov. 30, a week after he had an October physical. / Pete Marovich / Getty Images
The Times’ investigation comes after months of reporting by the Daily Beast about the president’s deteriorating health. It also comes as Trump faces intense scrutiny about his fitness for office, especially after several incidents where he appeared to stutter during public appearances.
The Daily Beast has reached out to the White House for comment.
In an earlier statement, Levitt said, “Unlike the Biden White House, which covered up Joe Biden’s cognitive decline and hid him from the press, President Trump and his entire team have been open and transparent about the president’s health, which is extraordinary.”
“President Trump’s physician 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, with a relentless work ethic.”
Details of Trump’s MRI, Trump’s doctor, Dr. Sean Barbabella’s memo came via a memo, which read: “President Donald J. Trump’s comprehensive executive physical, performed as part of advanced imaging because men in his age group benefit from a thorough evaluation of heart and gut health.”
Barbabella said the president’s cardiovascular imaging was “completely normal” with “no evidence of arterial narrowing obstructing blood flow or abnormalities in the heart or major veins” and that Trump’s cardiovascular system showed “excellent health.”
