A new book is reviving long-unanswered questions about President Trump's visit to Walter Reed military hospital last November, and Trump and his White House physician are issuing very specific denials.
"In reporting for this book, I learned that 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," New York Times reporter Michael Schmidt writes in Donald Trump v. the United States. "Pence never assumed the powers of the presidency, and the reason for Trump's trip to the doctor remains a mystery."
Neither Trump nor the White House initially denied that Vice President Mike Pence was told to get ready to assume the duties of president, and Pence carefully danced around the question when pressed by Fox New anchor Bret Baier on Tuesday. Pence said he doesn't "recall being told to be on standby" and insisted Trump "remains healthy."
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Trump tweeted late Tuesday that "Mike Pence was never put on standby, and there were no mini-strokes," and he visited Walter Reed "to complete my yearly physical." Last year, the White House claimed Trump was getting a head start on his physical, which he finished five months later. White House physician Dr. Sean Conley merely said Trump has not experienced or been evaluated for a stroke, mini-stroke, or acute cardiovascular emergency.
Neither Schmidt nor any reputable news organization had reported Trump had a stroke or "mini-strokes." But the Trump campaign did urge CNN to fire analyst Joe Lockhart for his "ludicrous and reckless speculation that President Trump had a stroke." Lockhart had tweeted from his personal account: "Did @realDonaldTrump have a stroke which he is hiding from the American public?"
None of this really sheds any light on why Trump visited the hospital for purported tests he could have undergone at the White House, Dr. Sanjay Gupta noted on CNN, and the history of Trump's doctor's notes don't inspire much confidence. Watch CNN's full report below. Peter Weber
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