Trump’s Health Under Scrutiny After Clash With Reporter

President Donald Trump says he feels “perfect.” But reporters on the campaign trail are describing him as “tired” and “drenched with sweat.”

Trump, 80, went ballistic on Reuters reporter Jacob Bogage on Thursday, Oct. 29, for asking the president how he was doing in the run-up to the midterm elections.

The verbal attack unfolded on the tarmac at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland as Trump returned from a campaign rally. Bogage asked him about abandoning previously announced plans to attend a Saturday rally in Kansas for Republican Sen. Roger Marshall.

Trump said he would hold a tele-rally instead, insisting Marshall was doing fine in the competitive race and didn’t need him there in person.

The reporter then asked how Trump was feeling and if skipping Kansas had something to do with him being “sick of travel.” That set Trump off.

“Oh, you’re sick to ask that question. You are sick,” he said before asking which outlet the reporter was from.

When Bogage said Reuters, Trump insulted the news agency and criticized the reporter’s physical appearance.

“Reuters is terrible by the way,” POTUS said, then pointed at Bogage. “Look at this guy. He’s way out of shape.”

There was stunned silence as Trump continued his tirade.

“You’ve been following me for two weeks. I feel perfect. You are disgusting. Put yourself in shape. You look like hell,” Trump said in footage posted on YouTube by PBS NewsHour.

HuffPost described Trump as “visibly drenched with sweat” as he berated Bogage.

That same day, independent news outlet AlterNet published comments from psychologist Dr. John Garrison, who said Trump has been “struggling” lately on the campaign trail.

Garrison, who is not Trump’s doctor, based his comments on news footage. He suggested the president may be suffering from a “neurodegenerative disease,” pointing to what he described as “glitches” — confusion and pauses –while speaking.

“This could be related to a wide variety of issues, whether it’s recovering from a stroke or something like vascular dementia or another type of dementia,” said Garrison.

Before Thursday’s exchange, British tabloid The Mirror published an article on Trump’s appearance and stamina on the road. In the story published Oct. 28, reporter Mikey Smith said Trump looked “knackered” during a rally in Lubbock, Texas.

For Americans not familiar with British slang, Cambridge Dictionary defines “knackered” as “very tired” or “broken.”

Smith said Trump sounded like he was losing his voice and questioned whether he has the stamina to continue campaigning.

With questions about Trump’s health making headlines, his travel plans changed, again.

On Friday, a White House official told MS NOW Trump is currently “expected” to visit Iowa and Kansas on Sunday. The official said the rallies were called off and then rescheduled to accommodate his tele-rallies.