Trump pushes back against NYT coverage of his health, says they are ‘fakers’ facing decline

Donald Trump insisted that he was in perfect health at the Cabinet meeting and criticized The New York Times for reports of fatigue
President Donald Trump insisted that he was in good health and claimed that he was sharper than 25 years ago as he slammed the New York Times for their report (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
President Donald Trump insisted that he was in good health and claimed that he was sharper than 25 years ago as he slammed the New York Times for their report (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)


WASHINGTON, DC: President Donald Trump held a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday, December 2, and at the beginning of the meeting, he addressed recent articles about his health published by The New York Times regarding his alleged fatigue. 

The president responded to the claims, noting that he was “sharper” than he was 25 years ago. 

DORAL, FLORIDA - OCTOBER 07: Republican presidential nominee, former U.S. President Donald Trump, attends an Oct. 7th remembrance event at the Trump National Doral Golf Club on October 07, 2024 in Doral, Florida. The event was held to commemorate October 7th, 2023, when Hamas terrorists mounted a series of attacks and raids on Israeli towns near Gaza, killing 1,145 people and taking 251 hostages. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
Donald Trump attends an October 7th remembrance event at the Trump National Doral Golf Club on October 07, 2024, in Doral, Florida (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Trump says he is in perfect health, slams NYT reports

During the Cabinet meeting, as Donald Trump assured the nation of his well-being, he criticized the popular publication, The New York Times, for its recent reports related to his health.

The president insisted that he was in perfect health and said he didn’t know why people assumed something was wrong because he didn’t attend a news conference one day.

He also noted that if one day there was something wrong with his health, he would let the press know. He added that it would happen to everyone, but stated that at the moment, he was sharper than he was 25 years ago.

(Getty Images)
Donald Trump compared how differently the media covered news related to him and Joe Biden (Getty Images)

He compared reports about himself to former President Joe Biden and said that the media always found "something new." Trump further said that there were reports about Biden being in "good health" despite not holding news conferences for eight months.  

Trump discussed the results of his cognitive test in October and said that he was able to answer every question correctly. However, the NYT still questioned whether President Trump was “sharp.”

“They’re not sharp, that’s why they’re going out of business, The New York Times. I hear they’re losing so much money it’s ridiculous. They’re a bunch of fakers,” he said. 

WASHINGTON, DC - NOVEMBER 24: White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt talks to reporters outside the White House West Wing on November 24, 2025 in Washington, DC. Leavitt answered questions after a television interview on the South Lawn. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt talks to reporters outside the White House West Wing on November 24, 2025, in Washington, DC (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

White House releases results of Trump’s MRI 

On Monday, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt held a press briefing at the White House. At the time, she released the much-awaited results of Donald Trump’s MRI as a summary report from his physician.

As she read the summary out loud, she revealed that the MRI Trump had undergone was “preventive,” to identify issues early on and confirm overall health.



The summary also stated that there was no evidence of “abnormalities in the heart” and that there were no signs of inflammation or clotting in his cardiovascular imaging.

She also stated that the president had undergone abdominal imaging, which showed that all major organs were “healthy and well perfused.”

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