Mounting speculation about Donald Trump's health has taken a bizarre turn, with the US President lashing out at a second female reporter in weeks when questioned about a recent medical scan.
Outbursts on Air Force One
The controversy erupted on Sunday, 1st December 2025, aboard Air Force One. When pressed by journalists about the results of a recent MRI scan, which Minnesota Governor Tim Walz had demanded be made public, Trump gave a defiant response. "They were perfect like my phone call where I got impeached. Absolutely perfect. If you want to have it released, I'll release it," he stated, referencing the call with Ukraine's President Zelensky that led to his impeachment.
The situation escalated when CBS News correspondent Weijia Jiang asked what part of his body the MRI examined. Trump fired back with a blistering personal insult: "I have no idea. It was just an MRI. It wasn't the brain because I took a cognitive test and aced it. I got a perfect mark which you would be incapable of doing." He then pointed directly at her before ending the media scrum, telling another female journalist "you too" as he departed.
This incident follows a similar outburst last month, where he called journalist Catherine Lucey a "piggy" and told her to be "quiet" when she asked about the Epstein files.
A Catalogue of Physical Concerns
Despite a recent health update from his physician, Dr. Sean Barbarella, claiming Trump's cardiac age is 14 years younger than his 79 years, several physical signs have fuelled public anxiety.
Observers have repeatedly noted unexplained, bruise-like marks on the President's hands, sometimes seemingly covered with makeup. The White House attributes this to "frequent handshaking" and his use of aspirin for cardiovascular prevention.
Perhaps more persistently, Trump has been seen with noticeably swollen ankles that bulge over his shoes. Dr. Barbarella later confirmed a diagnosis of chronic venous insufficiency, a common condition in people over 70, after vascular studies.
Further alarm was sparked during a ceremony for 9/11 victims, where striking photographs showed Trump's face appearing asymmetrical with a drooping mouth—a classic sign of a stroke. He has since appeared without the droop, but the images caused significant concern online, with some speculating about a transient ischemic attack (TIA).
Questions Over Stamina and Schedule
Beyond physical symptoms, questions about the President's stamina and mental sharpness are growing. A New York Times investigation found Trump has cut nearly 40% of events compared to his first term. His working day is now reported to often start around 1pm and conclude by 4pm.
This perceived "slowing down" has been accompanied by public incidents where Trump appears to doze off. During a press conference last month, he seemed to fall asleep just as an official discussed people being able to "sleep again," a moment widely shared online.
His mental acuity has also faced scrutiny after demonstrably false statements. In mid-July, he incorrectly claimed his late uncle, Dr. John Trump, taught Ted Kaczynski (the Unabomber), despite Dr. Trump dying nine years before Kaczynski was identified and Kaczynski never attending MIT.
These episodes, combined with his complete disappearance from public view over a Labour Day weekend in August—which sparked viral #trumpisdead hashtags—have created a perfect storm of speculation that his angry denials and insults have so far failed to quell.
