Here's 4 reasons why Donald Trump faking a doctor's note actually matters

[yallerdawg]

Source: CNN, by Chris Cillizza

*****

1. The President of the United States, as a candidate, faked a letter from his doctor to settle health and age questions.

Trump's willingness to bend the truth is, by now, de rigeur. But, consider what he did here. At 70, Trump is the oldest person ever to be elected to a first term as president. His diet and exercise regimen are not what anyone would describe as particularly healthy.

*****

2. Trump repeatedly attacked Hillary Clinton as not being healthy enough to be president.

From the start, Trump sought to make Clinton's stamina and endurance -- both code words for her overall health -- an issue in the campaign. That effort ramped up bigly in the wake of video capturing a decidedly wobbly Clinton leaving a September 11 memorial in New York City.

*****

3. Trump will say or do absolutely anything to win.

In Trump's mind, everything -- and I mean everything -- is justified if you win. The means are always justified by a successful end. Saying that Ted Cruz's father might have been involved in the assassination of John F. Kennedy? Yup. Claiming there were Muslims celebrating on New Jersey roofs on the night of September 11, 2001? Yup. Suggesting that Mexico was purposely sending criminals and rapists to the US? Yup. Casting white nationalist violence through the lens of both-sides-ism? Yes.

*****

4. Trump eventually turns on everyone.

Bornstein should have never allowed Trump to dictate a letter about his own fitness. But, he did so because he had a long relationship with Trump and wanted to stay in the presidential candidate's good graces. Trump routinely rewards total loyalty -- see Cohen, Michael -- and Bornstein undoubtedly thought he would reap some sort of gains from his willingness to put aside medical ethics in order to please Mr. Trump.

*****

Read it all at: https://www.cnn.com/2018/05/02/politics/harold-bornstein-donald-trump-health/index.html

[dalton99a]

1. Trump can only win by cheating

and by claiming that other people cheated

[mahatmakanejeeves]

2. He watched Dr. Kildare. He knows more than most generals. I mean doctors. NT

[Ohiogal]

3. As rational, intelligent, law-abiding, thinking citizens,

Everyone here on DU will agree with the above.

But, Most Republicans ..... religion zealots ..... and deplorables ..... don't care one whit about how dishonest, morally depraved, and untruthful Trump is. They give him a pass on his moral transgressions, vulgarity, and lawlessness....

Because he promised them that he'd promote white supremacy, Christian religion over all, kick out "furriners", and humiliate the poor and the people of color. That's all they care about.

[DLevine]

4. Spot on. nt

[meadowlander]

5. 5. What documents is he faking now?

We, the American people, are paying his salary and have the right to have the records of his administration preserved in an authentic state.

6. There are legitimate grounds for concern about his mental competence which is why Presidents provide medical records in the first place.

[lame54]

6. The Dr. also cheated

[gratuitous]

9. Yeah, I have to think the New York Medical Board is going to want to ask about this

As well as the little episode with Trump's medical records 15 months ago.

Say, Dr. B, wouldn't now be a really good time to retire from practicing medicine?

[marylandblue]

7. Here is 1 reason it doesn't matter

All of this was immediately obvious when the medical report was first released, yet nobody in media or politics demanded that Trump get a real letter from an independent, incorruptable doctor. They just let it slide into the next scandal.

[yallerdawg]

8. Everyone - me too! - never thought there was any way any of this would matter.

How could anyone with this record possibly win that election for THAT office?

Who could vote for this person - even counting the people who went to his fly-by hanger rallies? Weren't they just watching a train wreck?

A lot of us are still suffering from PTSD. It's real. It's scary.

[IronLionZion]

10. As he makes more and more enemies

they'll eventually take him down. No reason for anyone to stay loyal to him.

[Dave Starsky]

11. The doctor is a fraud, like everything else associated with Trump.

Any real doctor and her/his medical office would immediately freak out and call the police if someone stormed into their offices and started grabbing medical records. At the very least, there are HIPAA issues that will not only get you sued by your other patients, but will get you fined into poverty or thrown into federal prison. This guy doesn't seemed to be all that fazed by it. How weird is that?

He's a gastroenterologist who is the primary caregiver for Donald Trump. Now, I know that some medical specialists may become the primary caregiver for a patient if they have some sort of serious chronic condition that dominates their health. For instance, your primary doctor might be an endocrinologist if you have diabetes, or you might regularly see a cardiologist if you have congestive heart failure, and they may look after you most. Most primary care physicians are family practitioners, internal medicine specialists, and the like. But a gastroenterologist? Trump must either have some serious chronic diarrhea or is living with horrible heartburn that is impacting his life.

This doctor is a total fraud. It troubles me that no one in the media seems to be asking him questions that would immediately call out what a sham he is.

[onethatcares]

12. or crohns, or

a prostate problem, or a liver/gall bladder problem, or an intestinal problem.


I wonder what makes him "sniffle" so much.

[Dave Starsky]

13. No.

This "doctor" was a rubber stamp "physician" that signed on the bottom line whenever Trump held a piece of paper under his nose.

I seriously doubt that he has a current caseload of patients that he works with. I don't think he's treated anyone else but Trump within the last 20 or 30 years. He is a complete phony.