What's wrong with Trump’s health & why is the media afraid to ask?

A leader visibly declining, a press afraid to report it, and a country pretending not to see what is right in front of it.

Before we get into it: if you’re receiving this via email, thank you. You’re already subscribed. If you’re not, now is the time.

There are moments in American politics when something unusual happens with a president and the media responds like sirens going off in a nuclear plant. Endless cable segments. Think pieces. Demands for hearings. Panels of experts who have never met the president suddenly analyzing his vitamin intake like it is a national security threat.

And then there are moments like this one, where the president is demonstrating genuinely strange behavior and physical symptoms in full public view while the media behaves like nothing is happening.

Right now, we are living through the second scenario.

We have a sitting president, Donald Trump, visibly sporting a bandaged, bruised, and swollen right hand. We have multiple appearances where bruises are visible on both hands. We have reports that he initially tried to cover the damage with makeup. We have confirmation of an MRI that was never disclosed until Trump accidentally admitted to it. The White House then refused to explain why it was done for months and eventually landed on a story that makes little sense. All of this is happening at the same time Trump appears confused, distracted, and is falling asleep at public events.

If this were any other president, the media would be camped outside Walter Reed like it was O.J. Simpson’s Bronco. Instead, we are getting polite sidelong mentions, as if the condition of the president’s hands is a footnote rather than a national concern.

Remember When Biden Coughing Was National News?

It was not long ago that President Joe Biden’s physical and mental fitness became a sustained national obsession. Cable news dissected his gait. His age was treated as a front page existential crisis. Even before the infamous debate performance that ended his reelection bid, his stamina and sharpness were media staples.

And to be clear, Biden’s decline ultimately became undeniable. His debate performance was catastrophic. Analysts and insiders reached a consensus: he was not the right candidate.

But the important thing is this. All along the way, based on less concrete evidence than bloody bandages and hidden MRIs, the coverage was relentless. It was not only right-wing media, it seeped into the supposedly neutral corporate press.

Compare that to what is happening with Donald Trump right now. The hand issue is no longer speculative. It is visible. It is persistent. It has escalated from makeup to wraps and bandaging. He is nodding off in meetings. He appears lost mid-sentence. Yet the dominant tone from the mainstream press is a collective shrug.

The Official Explanation Makes No Sense

When reporters managed to force the White House to address Trump’s hands, we got a comically flimsy explanation involving frequent handshakes, aspirin, and something called “chronic venous insufficiency.” No medical records were provided. No timelines were confirmed. And the MRI was only acknowledged because Trump himself inadvertently mentioned it.

Then came silence. No real follow-up. No investigative zeal.

The Media Is Scared

This raises a serious question: Is the press avoiding Trump’s health not because there is nothing there, but because they are afraid?

The Trump era has created something new in American politics: a president who does not merely insult the press but sues it. Last year alone, Trump filed multiple massive defamation lawsuits against major outlets. He secured settlements. He is threatening more.

If you are a corporate legal department, that has a chilling effect. Nobody wants to be the next newsroom that spent millions fighting Trump in court.

So instead of coverage, we get caution. Instead of questions, we get compliance.

This Is Not About Partisanship

Whether you like Trump or hate him is irrelevant. Presidents are not private citizens. The public has a right to know whether the individual who controls the nuclear arsenal and commands the largest military force on Earth is physically and cognitively capable of doing the job.

If a president is repeatedly falling asleep on camera, hiding unexplained medical procedures, and appearing at events with wrapped and bruised hands, that is not celebrity gossip. It is a governance issue.

If Biden’s gait was fair game, Trump’s bandaged and swollen hands are not off limits. If Biden’s speech patterns deserved primetime, Trump’s visible confusion does too.

What Else Is Being Ignored?

This is the most important point: The silence around Trump’s health should make every American ask: What else are we not being told? If corporate media is willing to ignore a physically deteriorating president because it is inconvenient or litigious, what other stories are quietly being buried?

And if the Fourth Estate cannot even muster curiosity about the president’s functioning hands, what exactly is it for?

Trump’s bandaged hands are alarming, but the media’s silence about them is worse.

---

We’re reaching over 150 million people every month across YouTube, podcasts, Substack, and beyond. But algorithms can change. Platforms can fold. And when that happens, this newsletter is how we stay connected.

If you’re not yet a paid subscriber, please consider joining.
If you’re already paid on one platform, consider supporting us on both Substack and our website.

You can subscribe on our website and right here on Substack.

And if you’re really on fire, consider gifting a subscription—we’ve got thousands on our waiting list ready to read, watch, and fight back.

Let’s keep building.

—David

PS: Can’t contribute right now? No problem. You can support us for free by subscribing on YouTube, listening to our audio podcast on Spotify or Apple Podcasts, or become a free subscriber to this very Substack. Every bit counts.