According to U.S. media, including The Hill, discussion of Donald Trump’s health has resurfaced as President Trump approaches the age of 80.
The question from the public is where the line is drawn between private health matters and the public interest, and who ultimately assesses a president’s fitness for office.
Health and responsibility
In the United States, there are constitutional mechanisms to respond if a president is deemed unable to carry out the duties of office. In practice, however, this is politically difficult.
As a result, health often becomes an indirect issue that plays out in the media rather than in Congress.
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According to The Hill, past experience has contributed to this development.
During the 2024 election campaign, then-President Joe Biden faced extensive criticism after a weak debate performance, which later led him to withdraw from the race.
Professional warnings
In the current debate, physician Jonathan Reiner, former cardiologist to Vice President Dick Cheney, has called for an examination of Trump’s fitness.
On the social media platform X, he referred to a letter from Trump to Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre and wrote:
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"This letter, and the fact that the president directed that it be distributed to other European countries, should trigger a bipartisan congressional inquiry into presidential fitness".
Trump himself has rejected the criticism on Truth Social.
A contested assessment
The debate was further intensified when former White House lawyer Ty Cobb said in an interview on MS NOW’s The Beat that there had clearly been a decline.
According to Mediaite, he pointed to what he perceives as cognitive problems.
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The White House responded quickly. Spokesman Steven Cheung wrote in an email:
"Ty Cobb is an eternal stain on the great name he shares with a baseball legend. He should change his name to Ty Loser".
Sources: The Hill, and Mediaite.
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