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Now we know the truth: Donald Trump is the unhealthiest individual ever elected to the presidency

The numbers on his letter just didn’t add up, and it doesn’t take a genius, stable or otherwise, to see that. Sad!

Caitlin Morrison
Thursday 03 May 2018 09:31 BST
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Trump doctor says president dictated letter praising his own 'astonishingly excellent' health during 2016 campaign

Such is the nature of Donald Trump's presidency that it really isn't surprising to learn that it was allegedly the property magnate himself who penned the 2015 letter declaring his own excellent health.

Anyone who read said missive, which employed Trump’s unique, superlative-heavy style and boasting of low blood pressure, might have put two and two together.

Dr Harold Bornstein was originally credited with writing the note, which also stated that Trump “unequivocally, will be the healthiest individual ever elected to the presidency” ahead of his victory in the 2016 election.

Dr Bornstein, like his now former patient, is not the most discreet individual. The alleged truth about the author of the health letter has come to light because the medic claims that Trump’s then-bodyguard instigated a "raid" in order to retrieve the President’s medical records after Dr Bornstein revealed Trump was taking a drug to stimulate hair growth.

The fact that Trump decided to trust this individual with some of his most personal information rings an alarm bell, but then again there’s little about this story that isn’t alarming.

Trump’s obvious disdain for the mental faculties of his electorate is one issue: he quite clearly is not, and was never going to be, the “healthiest individual ever elected to the presidency”, and it’s frankly appalling that he expected anyone to believe his pseudo-medical screed.

He is known to be overweight, and his reliance on fast food for reasons of paranoia is well-documented. while it’s also been reported that Trump believes exercise to be misguided as people are born with a finite amount of energy. During the campaign, he claimed that giving passionate speeches were enough to get his heart pumping. In addition, Trump is in his seventies, more than 20 years older than his predecessor was when he took office. The numbers just don’t add up, and it doesn’t take a genius, stable or otherwise, to see that. Sad!

Then there’s Trump’s attitude towards his rival’s health during election campaigning. Team Trump latched onto rumours that began on Twitter (where else?) about Hillary Clinton’s supposed health problems. The President himself sprinkled petrol on the fire when he said in a campaign speech that Clinton lacked the “physical and mental stamina” to tackle Isis. Despite being well aware that he was misleading voters as to the state of his own health, he decided that Clinton’s was a legitimate target.

Once again, it’s not surprising, but it reinforces how little the POTUS thinks of the people he should be working for, and the debacle underlines his sense of sheer entitlement. He felt entitled to be President, even if it required employing seriously dodgy tactics and telling some ridiculous lies.

Trump should now be made to face questions about his physical wellbeing. His campaign team stirred up anxiety about Clinton’s health based on the most paltry "evidence" – one stumble on a staircase, a cough during a speech.

Unfortunately, it’s unlikely Trump will be too fazed by the revelations. He might hit out at his former physician – all eyes on Twitter – but that will probably be the end of it. If he was really worried about people seeing through this letter, he might have made more of an effort to make it seem like a doctor had really written it.

Plus, he’s weathered worse storms than this in his 16 months in office. A healthy guy like Trump can tough this one out with his eyes closed.

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