MSNBC host Joe Scarborough suggested Monday that President Donald Trump is in worse physical shape than presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden.
“Clip for clip, stumble for stumble, Donald Trump seems to be right in line with Joe Biden, or in many cases, even worse,” Scarborough told a panel on “Morning Joe.”
Scarborough said the president’s health remains a mystery even though he claimed “a lot of people are talking about [it]. We’ll leave it to the doctors for that.” (RELATED: Are Biden’s Speeches Getting Shorter To Avoid Gaffes?)
But he suggested Trump’s participation in a West Point military academy graduation Saturday indicated serous problems. “Again, it is images like this and even his speaking ability, or lack thereof, during this, [that] again undercuts their argument that Biden is a doddering old man and they should elect somebody with more energy than Joe Biden.”
Trump addressed concerns in a Saturday tweet where he explained, “The ramp that I descended after my West Point Commencement speech was very long & steep, had no handrail and, most importantly, was very slippery. The last thing I was going to do is “fall” for the Fake News to have fun with. Final ten feet I ran down to level ground. Momentum!”
The ramp that I descended after my West Point Commencement speech was very long & steep, had no handrail and, most importantly, was very slippery. The last thing I was going to do is “fall” for the Fake News to have fun with. Final ten feet I ran down to level ground. Momentum!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 14, 2020
Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden holds a roundtable meeting on reopening the economy with community leaders at the Enterprise Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on June 11, 2020. (Photo by JIM WATSON / AFP) (Photo by JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images)
Guest Jonathan Lemire, the Associated Press White House reporter, said Trump’s tweet only drew attention to the event but that he still needed to address any negative perceptions. He reminded viewers that Trump has frequently mentioned his concern about navigating stairways but said Republicans might have more difficulty selling a more active candidate “when you have you images like this.” (RELATED: Trump Says Biden ‘Doesn’t Know He’s Alive’)
Joe Biden has faced critiques over his fitness as well. Just last week he seemingly forgot what he wanted to say during a discussion about the COVID-19 virus.
On Wednesday, Biden told “The Daily Show” that the United States military would be anxious to escort Trump out of the White House if he loses the 2020 presidential election.