Nobody on Planet Earth has better Health than Me

September 1, 2020 11:16 AM

Pulitzer Prize-winning author and correspondent from the NY Times Michael S. Schmidt writes in his new book, "in the hours leading up to Trump's trip to [Walter Reed] hospital [last November], 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.” Don Winslow has claimed, based on three anonymous sources, that Trump had a series of mini-strokes. Today, Trump claims on Twitter that it's all Fake News. Needless to say, it's starting to be reported on from the left and right. What do you, the viewers at home, think?
posted by Chickenring (55 comments total)

Anybody who walks like that is probably lying about their golf game.
posted by box at 11:29 AM on September 1, 2020 [9 favorites]

Oh, Schmidt says way more than that.
posted by Melismata at 11:32 AM on September 1, 2020 [1 favorite]

And removing a few strokes from the record, that's golf lying 101.
posted by chavenet at 11:33 AM on September 1, 2020 [95 favorites]

Oh, Schmidt says way more than that.


Indeed, but according to him, nothing about stroke!
posted by Chickenring at 11:35 AM on September 1, 2020 [3 favorites]

...based on three anonymous sources, that Trump had a series of mini-strokes.

How could they tell?
posted by Thorzdad at 11:35 AM on September 1, 2020 [18 favorites]

What do you, the viewers at home, think?

Can I just say how much I hate this framing and question? It should not matter what my personal opinion is on the facts around Trump's health. It should be established fact, and known, and not a matter for personal speculation. Particularly not based on our politics.

Of course we don't live in that world because Trump and the GOP are corrupt liars who will do anything to stay in power. But still, the idea that my personal opinion at home is relevant is anger-making.
posted by Nelson at 11:45 AM on September 1, 2020 [107 favorites]

I think - and I’m pretty sure that I originally read this on Metafilter - the ideal election outcome for the Republicans is if Trump wins and then immediately drops dead, resulting in (up to) eleven years of Mike Pence, plus a potentially still-GOP Senate no longer encumbered by a palpably deranged head of the Executive branch threatening to primary them on a daily basis.

And while that scenario plays out better as regards my literally overriding concern: the survival of the human race for as long as a ragebaby man-child holds the launchcodes to the US nuclear arsenal in his tiny little hands...it’s not really all that much better in terms of all my primary concerns: which involve what will continue to happen to every marginalized person and group in this country for as long as the Republican party remains in power. The FoxNews infection is now permanent and the surrounding tissue is turning necrotic.

Outside of the potential impact on our democracy/survival as a species I’m not sure what there is to say. Speculating on someone else’s medical situation is both a fool’s game and generally in poor taste. (On preview, basically what Nelson said)
posted by Ryvar at 11:47 AM on September 1, 2020 [12 favorites]

Honestly, Trump’s resigning for medical reasons (or having his hand forced by fate) is the best thing that could happen to the GOP. They could quickly reposition themselves as the harmless old elephant party of Lawn Order and blame all Trump’s failures on illness, while playing on the sentiment of his base.
posted by Countess Elena at 11:48 AM on September 1, 2020 [11 favorites]

I mean, shit, there's probably at least one or two GOP operatives bending various ears every single day saying "Masssssster, if he quits, it's an open road for you.....it can allllll be yourssssssss (hisssssssss)"
posted by aramaic at 11:51 AM on September 1, 2020 [3 favorites]

Oh, Schmidt says way more than that.

Yeah, and Pulitzer Prize-winning author and correspondent from the NY Times Michael S. Schmidt also presumably knew a lot of the details he's publishing in his book at the time they occurred, but apparently declined to share them with the NYT's readers in favor of cashing in on a tell-all book. That doesn't mean what he's saying isn't true, but it does mean he and the NYT aren't serving their readership as best they could.
posted by Gelatin at 11:52 AM on September 1, 2020 [59 favorites]

I think - and I’m pretty sure that I originally read this on Metafilter - the ideal election outcome for the Republicans is if Trump wins and then immediately drops dead, resulting in (up to) eleven years of Mike Pence

Just FYI the 22nd Amendment makes it clear that you can't get more than 10 years that way. Once the VP (or some other successor) has served as president for more than 2 years of someone else's term they are ineligible to be elected more than once. So if Trump is reelected (god forbid) and drops dead sooner than 2 years into his second term, Pence would be limited to at most a single term in his own right.

(Theoretically you could have a series of figurehead presidents who get elected with the same VP, then promptly resign, leaving the VP to serve an unlimited series of not-quite 4 year terms, but that requires a series of electable presidents who willingly give up the job once they have it, which seems unlikely.)
posted by jedicus at 11:58 AM on September 1, 2020 [17 favorites]

That doesn't mean what he's saying isn't true

I completely agree, and my personal feelings are that it continues to annoy me when reporters withhold information so they could save it for their upcoming book. Also, it definitely wasn't my intention to anger anyone by asking for your thoughts, but, it's exactly because of the multiple layers to this issue that I asked my question. I feel that "What do you think?" is a question for the community since this is a community blog, and, obviously, this stroke claim could be a complete and total fabrication, so, what do you think of that? What do you think of reporters saving "scoops" for their book instead of reporting them at the moment they learn them? What do you think of a president who has told so many lies that even when his own doctor denies an accusation, we don't know whether to believe him? Again, apologies for angering anyone but, if you think the whole story is baloney, then say so and I respect that opinion.
posted by Chickenring at 12:00 PM on September 1, 2020 [6 favorites]

What do I think? I think you're not given a dementia test without good reason.
posted by Capt. Renault at 12:01 PM on September 1, 2020 [24 favorites]

but it does mean he and the NYT aren't serving their readership as best they could.

HAHAHAHOHOHEEHEEHEE
posted by Melismata at 12:03 PM on September 1, 2020 [25 favorites]

Don't you think she he looks tired?
posted by Saxon Kane at 12:05 PM on September 1, 2020 [17 favorites]

But, but, he remembered five words!

Trump's soliloquy: To be or not to. . . nailed it!
posted by dances_with_sneetches at 12:05 PM on September 1, 2020 [1 favorite]

The previous Dem candidate sneezed and the press practically wrote obituaries over the course of the following week. I hope the media gets as deep into Trump's health, as they did for Ms. Clinton. Fair is fair.
posted by They sucked his brains out! at 12:06 PM on September 1, 2020 [33 favorites]

I honestly don’t give a shit about his health, and my opinion on it counts for nothing.

What matters is that Trump and his enablers are doing a lot of damage. If this serves to get him out of office, fine.
posted by nubs at 12:10 PM on September 1, 2020 [5 favorites]

IMHO largely irrelevant.

Trump's mental condition is relevant, but I'm worried about that given what I've seen publicly of him over his term, both before and after the speculated event. Trump lying about stuff is relevant, but again: over three years of baldfaced lies confirmed, not speculated.

As for health? Bernie had a heart attack in the middle of campaigning and shrugged it off.

correspondent from the NY Times Michael S. Schmidt also presumably knew a lot of the details he's publishing in his book at the time they occurred, but apparently declined to share them with the NYT's readers in favor of cashing in on a tell-all book.

I'm usually last person to defend anyone associated with the NYT, but:

1) He did not withhold the stroke info for his book, as it's not there (you didn't say this, but given the context reinforcing for others.)
2) Times standards and editorial position are quite different from a book, which often includes more poorly sourced gossip, lower standards for relevance, and more permissive use of anonymous sourcing. (See the book fact checking thread just a bit ago.)
3) Some sources will cooperate for an eventual book but not timely reporting--for example, they'll let you use quotes after they've left the administration that you couldn't use when it was "news."
posted by mark k at 12:11 PM on September 1, 2020 [14 favorites]

Honestly, Trump’s resigning for medical reasons (or having his hand forced by fate) is the best thing that could happen to the GOP. They could quickly reposition themselves as the harmless old elephant party of Lawn Order and blame all Trump’s failures on illness, while playing on the sentiment of his base.

Perhaps, but for the rest of us, Pence as president is fucking terrifying.
posted by Kitchen Witch at 12:16 PM on September 1, 2020 [12 favorites]

Pence as president is fucking terrifying

The last time he was given a free hand at a top-most executive position was as governor of Indiana. In 2015, under his prayerful eye, Indiana had its worst outbreak of new HIV infections. A leading epidemiologist called the governor's actions, quote, "[A] total collapse of public health leadership and a dereliction of duty." Imagine the consequences of installing President Pence in the middle of an ongoing pandemic, and consider your voting options accordingly.
posted by They sucked his brains out! at 12:25 PM on September 1, 2020 [20 favorites]

Don't you think she he looks tired? yt
posted by Saxon Kane

Semi-eponysterical.
posted by Servo5678 at 12:25 PM on September 1, 2020 [13 favorites]

Yeah, and Pulitzer Prize-winning author and correspondent from the NY Times Michael S. Schmidt also presumably knew a lot of the details he's publishing in his book at the time they occurred, but apparently declined to share them with the NYT's readers in favor of cashing in on a tell-all book. That doesn't mean what he's saying isn't true, but it does mean he and the NYT aren't serving their readership as best they could.

Unlike get the Clinton private-email-server story, which he couldn't send to press fast enough. The latter decision gave us four years of Trump and will probably be remembered by historians about as kindly as Neville Chamberlain's "peace in our time."
posted by Mayor West at 12:26 PM on September 1, 2020 [10 favorites]

Theoretically you could have a series of figurehead presidents who get elected with the same VP, then promptly resign, leaving the VP to serve an unlimited series of not-quite 4 year terms

Sounds like the agreement that Putin and Medvedev had where they just traded offices. Hooray democracy.
posted by Hey, Zeus! at 12:28 PM on September 1, 2020 [5 favorites]

Pics shown of Stumpy after he left Walter Reed showed that he had a bruise on his hand that could only come from insertion of an IV. He definitely had a serious situation, and mini-strokes are a pretty good possibility, considering his age and obvious ill-health.
posted by ivanthenotsoterrible at 12:29 PM on September 1, 2020 [7 favorites]

Also Trump is a textbook narcissist who will never voluntarily walk away from the levers of power, and cares nothing for the GOP outside of what he thinks he can browbeat them into doing for him, so we can probably stop speculating about him stepping down for health reasons.

This does present us with the small-but-very-real possibility of him dying on the Oval Office shitter, which image is basically all that keeps me going as I contemplate being stuck in quarantine during a Presidential election between two old white dudes who like to argue about who thinks the police are more handsome.
posted by Mayor West at 12:32 PM on September 1, 2020 [21 favorites]

The press covered up Reagan's dementia, Bush the younger "choking on a pretzel" and hell, FDR's polio. Trump could stroke out in the middle of yelling about people in black clothing on planes and they'd just say how brave he was for taking a nap right then.

The fact that everybody saves the good bits for their eventual book and not, you know, when the public needs to know this stuff is disconcerting, to say the least. They've learned nothing.
posted by fifteen schnitzengruben is my limit at 12:37 PM on September 1, 2020 [10 favorites]

Trump's physician issued a statement saying the president did not have a stroke or mini-stroke.

Of course, Trump's physician has his own issues with sketchy medical declarations, as did his predecessor, so who knows.

Oh, wait -- we would, if Trump released records of his supposedly inconsequential unscheduled trip to Walter Reed.
posted by martin q blank at 12:44 PM on September 1, 2020 [4 favorites]

Might this be subtle foreshadowing that the tragicomedy titled "2020" will finally incorporate a deus ex machina?
posted by nikoniko at 1:35 PM on September 1, 2020 [5 favorites]

Why the hell are we worrying about the cover up before there's real evidence? Spending all this time discussing more potential scandals is pointless, both because sometimes the truth won't be uncovered, and because sometimes the accusations will turn out to be false, which makes him look better. (I'm all in favor of continued journalism; it's the rampant speculation that is a waste of time).

He says the quiet part out loud, whether it's firing the FBI director as part of a cover up or using the Post Office to rig an election. Let's not get distracted by the newest (potentially) shiny object when there's a pile of gold shit sitting in plain sight.
posted by Mr.Know-it-some at 1:39 PM on September 1, 2020 [10 favorites]

How is this story much less than anything but obvious even considering only that cognitive test Trump could not stop crowing about 'acing', and challenging Biden to take, and which is only administered when there is great concern about the mental status of a patient who has suffered some kind of neurological event?

Not only the event, but the fact that Trump could not understand that he was brazenly revealing something that his staff and advisors were doing everything in their power to conceal amount to a public demonstration that he is completely unfit to be President regardless of politics.

But our corrupted and worthless media responded with the studied obliviousness which has become almost an art form under Trump.
posted by jamjam at 2:22 PM on September 1, 2020 [18 favorites]

even considering only that cognitive test Trump could not stop crowing about 'acing', and challenging Biden to take, and which is only administered when there is great concern about the mental status of a patient who has suffered some kind of neurological event?

A short three question version of the cognitive test is a part of the annual Medicare wellness exam for everyone over age 65. For example, draw the face of a clock, name 10 animals, memorize and recite five words.
posted by JackFlash at 4:10 PM on September 1, 2020 [5 favorites]

what are the odds they were just mini-strokes of genius
posted by Bwentman at 9:02 PM on September 1, 2020 [10 favorites]

The press covered up Reagan's dementia, Bush the younger "choking on a pretzel" and hell, FDR's polio.

FDR's polio was well known ('The governor of New York does not need to be an acrobat,' Al Smith said backing FDR in 1928 in an obvious reference to his paralysis.) What the press did was generally abide by requests not to photograph him in his wheelchair or being helped move--backed up by the Secret Service strong arm tactics. See here for some more details on this.

What do you mean about the pretzel being covered up? It was reported on at the time--that's how I learned about it. Was there something more that came out later?
posted by mark k at 9:57 PM on September 1, 2020 [7 favorites]

What do you mean about the pretzel being covered up? It was reported on at the time--that's how I learned about it. Was there something more that came out later?

I’m curious about this, too: Bush Fils fell afoul of his pretzel on Sunday January 14, 2002. I am pretty sure if you tracked down what, er, Leno, Letterman, Conan O’ Brien, Jon Stewart, Dennis Miller* and Bill Maher said on the night of Monday the 15th, I think you’d find the word “pretzel” passed everyone’s lips.

*Still kind of funny then, as I recall. Not yet batshit.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 10:56 PM on September 1, 2020 [3 favorites]

I think SNL did an awesome riff on the pretzel incident when Dana Carvey was at his peak.
posted by Chickenring at 12:37 AM on September 2, 2020

Shoot I'm wrong, Carvey made fun of Bush 1 throwing up at dinner.
posted by Chickenring at 12:39 AM on September 2, 2020 [1 favorite]

There are people who think that the pretzel story was use to cover up that GWB had started drinking again (link).
posted by Drab_Parts at 5:32 AM on September 2, 2020 [2 favorites]

...an unlimited series of not-quite 4 year terms, but that requires a series of electable presidents who willingly give up the job once they have it, which seems unlikely.)

Steve Bannon is probably on it. Nothing “seems unlikely” anymore.
posted by spitbull at 6:29 AM on September 2, 2020

I think the pretzel was a medical event covered up with a funny story, no question.
posted by tiny frying pan at 6:41 AM on September 2, 2020

I think the pretzel was a medical event covered up with a funny story, no question.


Why? I mean, I guess it's possible, but why would you be so certain? I've never heard anything in support of this beyond pure conjecture (like in the link from Drab_Parts), and it's not like "choking fit leads to very brief fainting spell and very minor injury" is some fantastic story. Maybe he was drinking, maybe he wasn't, the guy didn't need to be buzzed to commit war crimes or tank the economy.
posted by skewed at 6:53 AM on September 2, 2020 [3 favorites]

Shoot I'm wrong, Carvey made fun of Bush 1 throwing up at dinner.

SNL did do the pretzel thing, but the following weekend.
posted by Ben Trismegistus at 6:56 AM on September 2, 2020 [1 favorite]

I recall GWB frequently jogging with with secret service guys and clearing brush on the ranch. His shoe-dodging reflexes were superb. He was probably one of our fitter presidents. Can we end this derail?
posted by paper chromatographologist at 7:08 AM on September 2, 2020 [10 favorites]

My hope is that Drumpf has an event while at a rally or a debate in October. Something that will demonstrate his instability but not enough for him to leave office. The election happens and he shambles off into irrelevance.
posted by Ber at 7:13 AM on September 2, 2020

choking fit leads to very brief fainting spell and very minor injury"

Because I've never heard of this happening to any person, ever. There's plenty of speculation out there about it but I would be zero percent surprised to hear about a heart condition or something that W had later on. Presidents never admit illnesses. And they hyped up this "funny story" a LOT at the time.
posted by tiny frying pan at 8:44 AM on September 2, 2020

Mild disagreement about a different president than the topic of the post isn't really a derail to me, by the way. Presidents lie about their health and I absolutely think W is a great example.

Also all that "clearing brush" was also hella for show at the time to show his "fitness."
posted by tiny frying pan at 8:46 AM on September 2, 2020 [1 favorite]

Because I've never heard of this happening to any person, ever.
I know nothing about GWB's health, but I know of 3 people whose passing out caused severe injuries, and 1 person (a friend in college) who broke his ribs giving himself the Heimlich maneuver on a chair. I don't know why, he did that, the dorm rooms doors were like 10 feet apart.
posted by The_Vegetables at 9:37 AM on September 2, 2020 [3 favorites]

Did those people pass out from choking on something? Of course passing out can cause injury. I don't believe it was because of a pretzel.
posted by tiny frying pan at 9:49 AM on September 2, 2020

The one who gave himself Heimlich said he was just short of passing out (according to him). It was a long time ago, but I think it was a Ritz.
posted by The_Vegetables at 12:43 PM on September 2, 2020

Biden should challenge him to do 5 push-ups. Hell, one. The excuses would be delectable.
posted by gottabefunky at 1:55 PM on September 2, 2020 [4 favorites]

For the record I really don't give a shit if an elected official can do a pushup, and as usual we're dancing around a lot of pretty ableist shit every time Trump's health comes up.

I mean, fuck this guy, best case scenario for humanity is probably that he dies of the 'rona before the election, but I couldn't care less about the physical abilities of my elected officials, and think it's mostly beside the point. Trump has made it an issue because of vanity and idiocy, and I think it's fair to mock his golf game or the ongoing hyperbole about his health. But as much as I'd love to challenge him to start a fucking lawn mower or arm wrestle Obama, that's not really relevant.

I blame Reagan for our obsession with this, as for so many things. Our prototype doddering populist.
posted by aspersioncast at 3:22 PM on September 2, 2020 [8 favorites]

I always thought GWB's pretzel story was made up to cover the possibility that Laura hit him.
posted by Multicellular Exothermic at 5:16 AM on September 3, 2020 [1 favorite]

blame Reagan for our obsession with this

Or perhaps Teddy, who invited boxers to pummel him (among other things) to show how tough he was.

Or maybe George? Being 6'2", 175 lbs, and "padded with well-developed muscles" certainly helped his political career.
posted by Mr.Know-it-some at 6:23 AM on September 3, 2020 [1 favorite]

The only reason that I care about his physical properties and condition at all is that he lies so much about them. That, to me, is the relevant part.
posted by Too-Ticky at 8:25 AM on September 3, 2020 [3 favorites]

...as usual we're dancing around a lot of pretty ableist shit every time Trump's health comes up.

Nah, it's about how Trump, Russia, and whomever else have been fostering the idea that Biden has dementia or some other mental deficiency for months. What's good for the goose is goose for the gander.
posted by Chickenring at 9:04 AM on September 3, 2020 [1 favorite]