President Donald Trump sparked a fresh flurry of speculation about his health after a top official had to help him with a basic task.
Trump, 80, needed assistance with sitting down after delivering remarks at the Tuesday launch of America.gov, a new AI-powered website promising to provide Americans with “simple answers only from official government sources.”
Dr. Mehmet Oz, the administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, had to help the geriatric president sit down as he prepared to sign an executive order “streamlining access to government services through America.gov.”
A clip of Oz helping Trump sit down made the rounds on social media, prompting X users to mock the president and speculate about the true state of his health.
One X user who got thousands of likes wrote, “Have you ever sat down in a diaper full of s--t? No. Most of us haven’t.” Several other users made similar diaper-related quips as they took jabs at the aging president.
Others floated theories about Trump’s right leg, including users who wondered whether he was using a brace or had torn his ACL.
One user cut straight to the chase, writing simply, “#25thAmendmentNow.” The constitutional amendment sets the rules for succession in the event that the sitting president is unable to perform their duties.
When reached for comment, the White House responded with an attack on the Daily Beast.
“The Daily Beast is a mentally challenged, lightweight operation that constantly peddles baseless and deranged conspiracy theories about President Trump and his Administration – which is why no one should listen to them. Hopefully the idiots who work there will eventually be able to get themselves real jobs,” White House spokesperson Davis Ingle said.
Ingle, 32, is a communications graduate of Florida’s Southeastern University, where his father, Kent Ingle, is president. SEU boasts that more than two-thirds of its students attend online or through extension courses at 200 “partner sites,” which do not have to be accredited.
Trump, the oldest person to be inaugurated U.S. president, has long sparked concern over his health thanks to his chronically bruised hands, swollen ankles, mental flubs, and public bouts of drowsiness.
The president also raised eyebrows after he was caught having to use an extra cushion to hold himself up on a sinky sofa during a high-level meeting.
In a video shared on X by French President Emmanuel Macron Tuesday morning, Trump could be seen using a throw pillow to hoist himself up as he sat next to his French counterpart.
“You can sit right there,” Trump says to Macron in the video, pointing to the couch. Meanwhile, Trump grabbed a throw pillow and placed it underneath him.
“So, how are you?” Macron then asks.
“I’m good,” Trump replies before plopping down on the pillow, his knees elevated at a noticeably more optimal angle.
