Vice President Mike Pence said he doesn’t remember being put on standby during President Donald Trump’s visit to the Walter Reed hospital last year, amid allegations from a New York Times reporter claiming that the president suffered strokes.
Trump and White House officials also denied the claim from the reporter, Michael Schmidt, earlier this week. Schmidt is coming out with a new book that contains the allegation.
“I don’t recall being told to be on standby,” Pence told Fox News on Tuesday. “I was informed that the president had a doctor’s appointment.”
Pence noted that as vice president, it’s his job to remain on standby if something happens to the president.
“I’ve got to tell you, part of this job is you’re always on standby. You’re vice president of the United States,” Pence added. “The American people can be confident that this president is in remarkably good health, and every single day I see that energy in high relief.”
Pence said that when Trump visited the medical facility, there was “nothing out of the ordinary about that moment or that day.”
Schmidt’s book prompted Dr. Sean Conley, the physician to the president, to “address the recent public comments regarding his health.”
“I can confirm that President Trump has not experienced nor been evaluated for a cerebrovascular accident (stroke), transient ischemic attack (mini stroke), or any acute cardiovascular emergencies, as have been incorrectly reported in the media,” Coney said in a statement on Tuesday.
He added: “The President remains healthy and I have no concerns about his ability to maintain the rigorous schedule ahead of him. As stated in my last report, I expect him to remain fit to execute the duties of the Presidency.”
And on Twitter, Trump, 74, described the new claims as false.
“It never ends! Now they are trying to say that your favorite President, me, went to Walter Reed Medical Center, having suffered a series of mini-strokes,” Trump wrote on Twitter.
A number of mainstream news outlets carried Schmidt’s claim earlier this week.
“Perhaps they are referring to another candidate from another Party!” Trump wrote, suggesting that his 77-year-old Democratic rival, Joe Biden, is suffering from health issues.
In his last physical exam in June, doctors said Trump weighs 244 pounds, stands 6 feet 3 inches, has a blood pressure of 121/79 mmHg, and a resting heart rate of 63 beats per minute. The White House press secretary, Kayleigh McEnany, stated the results indicate Trump is of good health.
