Watch CBS News

Trump dismisses rumors about his health and accuses the media of being "sick"

Trump slams speculation he had health scare
Trump slams speculation he had health scare 01:57

Washington — President Trump on Tuesday dismissed the rumors about his health and instead insisted that members of the press are "sick." Mr. Trump made the remarks during a Cabinet meeting, which was his first appearance in front of cameras since Saturday.

After he made a previously unannounced visit to the hospital on Saturday, rumors circulated, without evidence, that he might have suffered a heart attack. His Saturday visit to Walter Reed Medical Center wasn't on his public schedule and came as a surprise to reporters who cover the president

White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham has denied that Mr. Trump experienced any chest pain, issuing a statement from the president's physician on Monday night. Mr. Trump described the visit on Tuesday as "just a piece of ... a very routine physical." He said he will go back to finish the physical in January.

While he was at Walter Reed, Mr. Trump said he visited "the family of a young soldier who was very badly injured who was in the operating room" and "toured the hospital for a little while." 

When he got home, he said his wife, First Lady Melania Trump, and his public relations team asked if he was okay because of the heart attack rumors.

"These people are sick," Trump said in reference to the media. "They're sick. And the press really in this country, is dangerous." 

For the last few days, the president has mostly kept to himself or met with officials behind closed doors, tweeting his frustrations with the impeachment inquiry into him. But during the Cabinet meeting, he said he doesn't know Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman — who testified Tuesday morning that it was "improper" and "inappropriate" for the president to ask Ukraine's president to investigate the Bidens — and he held held back some of his usual criticism, saying "I'm going to let people make their own determination."

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.