Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
As Debate Over President's Mental Health Heats Up, Trump Declares Himself A 'Very Stable Genius'
The New York Times: Trump, Defending His Mental Fitness, Says He’s A ‘Very Stable Genius’
President Trump, whose sometimes erratic behavior in office has generated an unprecedented debate about his mental health, declared on Saturday that he was perfectly sane and accused his critics of raising questions to score political points. In a series of Twitter posts that were extraordinary even by the standards of his norm-shattering presidency, Mr. Trump insisted that his opponents and the news media were attacking his capacity because they had failed to prove his campaign conspired with Russia during the 2016 presidential campaign. (Baker and Haberman, 1/6)
The Wall Street Journal: Trump Rejects Assertions In Book, Calling Self A ‘Very Stable Genius’
President Donald Trump on Saturday continued to assail a new book that features sharp criticism of his administration from close advisers, and lamented what he called the nation’s “weak” libel laws that he said allowed the book to be published. ... The author, Michael Wolff, frequented the West Wing during Mr. Trump’s first year in office and met with at least a dozen administration officials. The book says White House advisers have had concerns about Mr. Trump’s fitness for the presidency, in particular about his “lapses and repetitions.” In a Thursday Hollywood Reporter column about his book, Mr. Wolff wrote: “At Mar-a-Lago, just before the new year, a heavily made-up Trump failed to recognize a succession of old friends.” (Ballhaus, 1/6)
Politico: Trump Defends Mental Health: I'm A 'Stable Genius'
Even Fox News, the president's most vocal media cheerleader, has started to acknowledge the questions about the president's state of mind, running a segment early Saturday morning titled, "Media questions Trump's mental state." Trump unleashed his Twitter rant just minutes after the Fox segment, further elevating the issue and ensuring that the topic gets more attention than ever, even as the White House tries to focus on crafting a legislative agenda. “Now that Russian collusion, after one year of intense study, has proven to be a total hoax on the American public, the Democrats and their lapdogs, the Fake News Mainstream Media, are taking out the old Ronald Reagan playbook and screaming mental stability and intelligence.....” the president tweeted at 7:19 a.m. (Restuccia and Howie, 1/6)
Politico: 25th Amendment Unlikely To Be Invoked Over Trump's Mental Health
Donald Trump’s description of himself as a “very stable genius” sparked new debate this weekend about the 25th Amendment, but invoking the provision to remove a president from office is so difficult that it’s highly unlikely to come into play over concerns about Trump’s mental health, a half-dozen lawyers with expertise on the measure said. (Gerstein, 1/7)
Bloomberg: Trump Medical Exam Comes As Critics Question Fitness For Office
President Donald Trump gets his first physical since taking office on Friday, but Americans may not find out much about the health of the 71-year-old chief executive with a taste for McDonald’s and an aversion to exercise beyond golf. Trump, like all Americans, has the right under federal law to keep health information from public disclosure. The White House has pledged, though, that physician Rear Admiral Ronny Jackson will issue a public report on the exam, scheduled for Jan. 12 at Walter Reed Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland. (Pettypiece, 1/8)
