Former White House Press Secretary and current MSNBC host Jen Psaki is under scrutiny for her recent comments regarding the health of former President Donald Trump. During a segment on her show, she suggested that Trump was “hiding” from the public over the Labor Day weekend, igniting a wave of criticism from various quarters.
Over the holiday, social media was rife with speculation about Trump’s health. Critics pointed to his sparse public appearances and a photograph showing a bruise on his hand as indicators of a serious medical issue. Despite these rumors, Trump made a public appearance at his golf club in Virginia, which did not quell the speculation.
In a segment aired on September 5, Psaki initiated a discussion around the “wave of online speculation about the president’s health and well-being.” She noted, “Today, when he re-emerged from his absence for an event in the Oval Office, even my buddy from Fox News, Peter Doocy, couldn’t resist asking about it.” Trump’s response to the rumors was dismissive; he claimed he had been unaware of the online chatter and described his weekend as “very active.”
Psaki did not directly question Trump’s health but implied that his lack of visibility was unusual. “You probably saw them!” she remarked, referring to the rampant online rumors. Trump later acknowledged hearing “reports” about speculation regarding his health, but he denied awareness of claims regarding his death. Psaki quipped, “You really can’t make this stuff up sometimes,” before speculating that Trump was avoiding the public due to concerns about his poll numbers.
The response on social media was swift. Conservative activist Greg Price criticized Psaki, stating, “Jen Psaki does an entire segment claiming that Donald Trump is hiding something about his health because he took a few days off on a holiday weekend.” Others echoed this sentiment, questioning her credibility as a journalist given her previous role as Biden’s press secretary.
Critics also highlighted Psaki’s own challenges at MSNBC. Her show has struggled to attain comparable ratings to those of prime-time host Rachel Maddow. From May to June, Psaki averaged 1.1 million viewers, a significant drop from Maddow’s average of 1.8 million during the same period. With MSNBC preparing to rebrand as MS NOW, questions arise regarding the future direction of the network, including whether it can maintain its audience amid significant changes.
The controversy surrounding Psaki’s comments is compounded by recent publications questioning President Joe Biden‘s health. In “Original Sin: President Biden’s Decline, Its Cover-Up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again,” authors Jake Tapper and Alex Thompson detail concerns raised by Biden’s advisors about his cognitive health during Psaki’s tenure as press secretary. Despite these claims, Psaki insisted that she never witnessed any signs of decline.
In a podcast interview, she rebuffed the notion of a “cover-up” regarding Biden’s health, stating, “I think ‘cover-up’ is such a loaded phrase.” She further claimed she “never saw” any troubling signs during her time in the White House, attributing any subsequent decline to the natural aging process.
As the debate continues over the implications of Psaki’s remarks, the former press secretary faces a critical moment in her media career. The evolving narrative around both Trump and Biden’s health highlights the intense scrutiny that public figures endure, particularly as they navigate the complex landscape of political commentary.
MSNBC did not respond to requests for comment regarding the backlash against Psaki at the time of publication.
