Joy Reid wants the media to get real about the state of President Donald Trump’s health.
The fiery political commentator grew exasperated in a Tuesday interview with her fellow MSNBC alum Katie Phang as they discussed signs that Trump, 79, may not be in the best shape.
“Now we come up with the oldest president in U.S. history, somebody whose ankles are swollen to the size of elephant legs, someone who does not seem well,” she told Phang. “He seems to forget the names of people who are sitting right in front of him. He doesn’t seem fully aware of his surroundings at all times. But the mainstream media is like, ‘He seems fine to us.’”
Reid was likely referring to multiple sightings of the president’s cankles and his recent mental gaffes, including looking around a table for a world leader sitting right in front of him, appearing unaware that Alaska is part of the U.S, and forgetting which “big” war he supposedly ended.
Trump’s hand has also become a subject of controversy after a huge discoloration was seen caked in makeup on multiple occasions.
The former MSNBC firebrand—who has gone independent since getting her show on the network axed earlier this year—also scored the media over what she sees as its incuriosity about the true state of Trump’s health.
“The mainstream media will not touch these questions about Donald Trump’s obviously declining health,” Reid said. “His ankles are the size of watermelons. They’re like elephant legs, he can barely walk down a flight of stairs. And that’s not even new. He can barely walk up or down stairs.”
“He’s showing clear signs that he isn’t well. His face looks like it’s coming apart. He’s got all these bruises all over his hands, which we don’t know what that’s from. They won’t explain it,” she added.
The White House revealed in July that Trump had chronic venous insufficiency, a common condition in which veins struggle to push blood back to the heart. The bruise on his hand, meanwhile, was attributed simply to his use of aspirin and “frequent handshaking.”
The Daily Beast has reached out to the White House for comment on Reid’s remarks.
