As the race to November 3 heats up in the last two months of campaigning, Donald Trump is desperately pushing narratives that his Democratic challenger, former Senator and Vice President Joe Biden, is in mental decline. Perhaps that particular narrative was chosen to cover Trump’s own failings, as evidence that his health is declining has caught the attention of the media and voters alike in recent months.
Vice President Mike Pence was on standby to "take over" during President Trump's unannounced Walter Reed visit, new book reports https://t.co/E20V05G92r pic.twitter.com/QONQSxTfAq
— CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) September 1, 2020
Most notably, an unscheduled visit to Walter Reed Hospital in November has gone unexplained since no one trusts the White House to tell the truth about the visit (the White House has said Trump went for a surprise routine physical, which doesn’t make sense, and Trump says he had a dementia test). According to Donald Trump v. The United States: Inside the Struggle To Stop A President by New York Times reporter Michael Schmidt, that visit was far from routine.
‘Schmidt writes…that he learned “in the hours leading up to Trump’s trip to the hospital, word went out in the West Wing for the vice president to be on standby to take over the powers of the presidency temporarily if Trump had to undergo a procedure that would have required him to be anesthetized.” Schmidt does not specify the sourcing for this reporting beyond “I learned.”
‘The White House declined to comment on the record to CNN about the report.’
One of the benefits of making videos that garner 5 million+ views is that you hear from a lot of people, including whistleblowers inside Trump administration.
I've received three communications saying that during his term Trump has suffered a "series" of "mini-strokes."
WATCH. pic.twitter.com/MHWQR1c2Yk
— Don Winslow (@donwinslow) August 1, 2020
‘While Pence did not ultimately assume the powers of the presidency, according to Schmidt, the account raises fresh questions about the reason for Trump’s unscheduled visit.
‘The visit did not follow the protocol of a routine presidential medical exam, a person familiar with the matter told CNN at the time. Medical staff at Walter Reed did not get a staff-wide notice about a presidential visit to the medical center in Bethesda, Maryland, ahead of Trump’s arrival, according to that source.’
What happened at Trump’s secret midnight run to Walter Reed Medical Center? pic.twitter.com/RLRuzoQO1j
— The Lincoln Project (@ProjectLincoln) August 29, 2020
The truth about Trump’s health will probably never be made public, especially considering the secrecy he demands of loyal staffers. However, it’s becoming more and more obvious over time that Trump may not have ever been up to the work of the highest office in the land.
‘Typically, Walter Reed’s medical staff would get a general notice about a “VIP” visit to the medical center ahead of a presidential arrival, notifying them of certain closures at the facility. That did not happen this time, indicating the visit was a non-routine visit and scheduled at the last minute.’
