White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt pushed back forcefully against a recent analysis showing a sharp decline in President Donald Trump’s official public appearances, calling the piece "unequivocally false" during a Monday briefing.
According to the analysis published Nov. 15, the 79-year-old president’s official events have fallen by 39% — from 1,688 events during the first 10 months of his first term to 1,029 so far this year — and now tend to begin after midday instead of the roughly 10:30 a.m. starts more common in his first term.
Leavitt, 28, rejected the findings and held up a separate front-page article about the former vice president to illustrate what she called inconsistent reporting. "I want to point out one fake news story over the weekend before I let you all go," she told reporters, later describing the schedule analysis as "unequivocally false."
"[Trump] is the most accessible president," Leavitt said, adding that he "is taking meetings around the clock."
On the same day she defended the president’s availability, Leavitt disclosed that Mr. Trump had a "preventative" MRI last month to evaluate his heart and abdomen. When first asked about the procedure earlier in November, White House officials said they would look into why it was performed; the president later said he did not know why he had the scan.
The medical details were provided in a memo from Dr. Sean Barbabella, who said the advanced imaging was performed as part of a comprehensive executive physical because men in the president’s age group benefit from a thorough cardiovascular and abdominal evaluation. Dr. Barbabella said the cardiovascular imaging was "perfectly normal," noting no evidence of arterial narrowing or abnormalities in the heart or major vessels and concluding that the president’s cardiovascular system shows "excellent health."
President Trump also reacted angrily on social media, calling the analysis a "hit piece" and attacking the reporter by name. He pointed to his recent physical and a cognitive test he said he "aced," and he touted strong poll numbers even as some polls showed his approval rating under water at the time of the reporting.
The exchange highlights the heightened scrutiny over the president’s stamina and fitness for office. Various outlets and reporters have flagged a pattern of fewer public events and occasional moments when Mr. Trump appeared to nod off during public appearances, prompting renewed questions from critics and observers.
Leavitt and the White House have emphasized transparency about the president’s health, releasing physician summaries and describing the examinations as comprehensive. Supporters say those records and the president’s public schedule demonstrate sustained activity and capability, while critics say the reduced number of official engagements and timing shifts merit further attention.
