The same liberal media that denounced any and all questions about Hillary Clinton’s health prior to and following her stumbling exit from a 9/11 event on 2016, suddenly wanted to speculate about why President Trump visited Walter Reed Medical Center over the weekend. During their Monday evening, newscast, NBC suggested the President’s visit may have had something to do with his heart. The difference of course being, there was video evidence of Clinton acting bizarrely.
“Tonight, there are growing questions two days after President Trump underwent a surprise physical exam. Though the White House says it was routine, few details have been released,” announced NBC Nightly News anchor Lester Holt, with the on-screen headline reading "Trump health exam mystery" emblazoned over his shoulder.
Correspondent Hans Nicholas’s report was nothing but skeptical of the White House’s official explanation for the visit. “The President leaving on an unannounced trip to Walter Reed Medical Center with his personal physician riding by his side. White House insisting it was for portions of an annual physical.”
Adding: “But the Saturday visit was different from his two previous presidential physicals raising concerns about his health. Those were on his official schedule, took more than four hours, and were not done in phases.”
NBC News medical correspondent Dr. John Torres was also brought on to insinuate the visit had something to do with the President’s heart health:
NICHOLS: But at his last check-up, doctors noted a higher coronary calcium score.
TORRES: The calcium score he had from 2018 showed he already had plaque buildup around his heart. That's a bit concerning.
Meanwhile, back in 2016, NBC and MSNBC were doing all they could to defend questions about Hillary’s health problems. “The campaign has pushed back for months now against what they say are Republican conspiracy theories built on nothing that there's something wrong with Hillary Clinton's health,” Washington Post Clinton beat writer Anne Gearan said on MSNBC at that time.
Clinton would later admit to being diagnosed with pneumonia.
“Meantime, as health becomes a major topic in this campaign, Donald Trump has released even less information about his medical history than Hillary Clinton has,” Holt whined in Clinton’s defense a couple of days later.
NBC correspondent Kristen Welker, at the time, claimed any suggestion that Clinton was ill was just an example of the “conspiracy theories swirling” around. Speaking to the “broader context,” Welker added that “Clinton has been dealing with Republicans kind of spinning up conspiracy theories about her health.”
Again, the major difference between the discussion of the health of Trump and Clinton was the fact there was video evidence that showed Clinton was not well. In Trump’s case, however, there’s nothing. NBC was basing their reporting on no evidence.
The transcript is below, click "expand" to read:
NBC Nightly News
November 18, 2019
7:07:38 p.m. EasternLESTER HOLT: Tonight, there are growing questions two days after President Trump underwent a surprise physical exam. Though the White House says it was routine, few details have been released. We get more from NBC's Hans Nichols.
[Cuts to video]
HANS NICHOLS: The President leaving on an unannounced trip to Walter Reed Medical Center with his personal physician riding by his side. White House insisting it was for portions of an annual physical.
WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY STEPHANIE GRISHAM: That man works from 6:00 a.m. until very, very late at night. He's doing very fine.
JEANINE PIRRO: You know, Stephanie, he's almost superhuman.
NICHOLS: But the Saturday visit was different from his two previous presidential physicals raising concerns about his health. Those were on his official schedule, took more than four hours, and were not done in phases. The President tweeted: “everything is very good, great. Will complete next year.
As a candidate, Trump released a letter from his doctor touting his “astonishingly excellent” health, but the doctor later said Trump dictated the whole later. After his first White House physical, his official doctor declared him fit.
DR. RONNY JACKSON: I told the President if he had a healthier diet the last twenty years, he would live to be 200 years old.
NICHOLS: But at his last check-up, doctors noted a higher coronary calcium score.
DR. JOHN TORRES: The calcium score he had from 2018 showed he already had plaque buildup around his heart. That's a bit concerning.
NICHOLS: The President, who is 73, plans to do phase two of his physical next year. Hans Nichols, NBC News, the White House.
