Trump Predictably Reverses Course, Won’t Reveal Medical Exam Results On Dr. Oz
Following Hillary Clinton’s pneumonia diagnosis, which came on the heels of conservatives pushing Clinton health conspiracies for weeks, GOP nominee Donald Trump announced he would be releasing the results of a recent physical and additional medical records. The campaign also stated that he would appear on daytime talk show The Dr. Oz Show to discuss the details of the medical exam.
Well, scratch that. A day after Dr. Mehmet Oz talked about the upcoming episode with Fox News’ Brian Kilmeade, noting that he wouldn’t ask probing questions or discuss Clinton with Trump but would go over the exam results, campaign aides reversed course and said the show will just revolve around basic health issues.
From The Hill:
Television personality Mehmet Oz had said he would be releasing the results of Trump’s recent physical when the businessman appears on his show Thursday.
But Trump campaign aides said the interview will instead focus on general health issues like the importance of an active lifestyle and positive thinking.
And while the interview is expected to touch on Trump’s fitness for office — especially in light of Hillary Clinton’s recent pneumonia diagnosis — it won’t delve into results from Trump’s recent exam or lab work.
CNN’s Mark Prescott also noted Wednesday morning that Trump would reveal no intricate details and that it would just be a whole lotta nothing.
“It’s a made for TV moment, right? No question about that. If anyone is putting money down that they think they’re going to get intricate details about Donald Trump’s health, you’re going to lose the bet. The bottom line is it’s going to be 48 minutes of back and forth. Donald Trump talking about how healthy he is and I think Dr. Oz might ask him why does he eat a lot of fast food and then that is going to be it. Then there’s going to be more questions that come out of this than are actually answered.”
This is classic bait-and-switch by the Trump campaign. It was never their plan to reveal actual details about Trump’s health. However, they were able to place the idea in the public’s head that he is being extremely transparent while Clinton is the one hiding stuff. Just like his tax returns. And charity. And actual wealth. Rinse and repeat.
The thing is, there are legit privacy issues when it comes to discussing medical history. There should be a certain expectation of privacy between doctor and patient, regardless if the patient is running for the highest office in the land. However, at the same time, voters should have some idea of the general health of the candidates. It is a delicate balance.
Of course, when one candidate only releases a ridiculous letter from a gastroenterologist that claims he’ll be unequivocally the healthiest president in history, despite being an overweight senior citizen whose diet consists of McDonald’s, well-done steaks and fried chicken, all while questioning the health of the other candidate, it opens him up to further scrutiny.
