Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent flattered Donald Trump with an unprompted claim about his 80-year-old boss’ “breathing” and all that it signifies for the future.
Bessent was in Tennessee on Thursday at a ceremony for one of the several sites that now have the president’s name on it: The Donald J. Trump Bridge in Dandridge, about 30 miles east of Knoxville. The occasion came the same day that Palm Beach, Florida’s airport was renamed after Trump.
Bessent grinned about travelers crossing the French Broad River being able to see the president’s name on the piece of roadway, which the Tennessee Department of Transportation has scheduled to rebuild by September 2029, according to the Knoxville News Sentinel.
“When I was younger, the Tennessee license plate used to have a ... little motto that said, ‘Follow me to Tennessee,’” the 63-year-old Cabinet member said. “So now, everyone who follows those cars is going to go across the Donald J. Trump Bridge on I-40.”
Bessent concluded his remarks by mentioning another state’s motto.
“I will just finish with [how] the South Carolina license plate now says in Latin ‘Dum spiro spero,’ which means, ‘While I breathe, I hope,” the South Carolina native said. “And while President Trump is breathing, we can all hope for a better country.”
Trump, the oldest person ever elected president, has faced scrutiny over his physical health and his acuity, which the Daily Beast has chronicled.
Last summer, the White House announced that Trump had been diagnosed with chronic venous insufficiency, a condition common in seniors which makes it more difficult for blood to return from the extremities to the heart. Swollen ankles have often been spotted as a result. Trump has said he tried compression socks but didn’t like them.
Another physical ailment is the president’s frequent bruising, mainly on his right hand, which the White House attributes to frequent handshaking and Trump’s aspirin dosage—a higher-than-recommended amount.
As for the president’s mental fitness, he has drawn scrutiny for appearing to fall asleep during important daytime engagements, for meandering when he is awake and speaking, and consistently bragging about “acing” three cognitive exams, which are given to test for signs of dementia.
In May, after Trump’s third check-up in 13 months, his physician, Navy Capt. Sean Barbabella, wrote that he had “excellent” physical and mental health and was fully fit for his job.
The White House has repeatedly told reporters that Trump is “the sharpest and most accessible President in American history who is working nonstop to solve problems and deliver on his promises.”
