President Donald Trump on Tuesday said reports on social media that he is in ill health are untrue, saying he was busy over the Labor Day weekend giving media interviews and visiting his Virginia golf club.
"I was very active over the weekend," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. Asked if he was aware of the reports, he called them "fake."
“I didn’t do any [news conferences] for two days, and they said there must be something wrong with him. Biden wouldn’t do them for months. You wouldn’t see him. And nobody ever said there was ever anything wrong with him, and we know he wasn’t in the greatest of shape,” Trump said.
Trump will send the National Guard to Chicago
He then went on to affirm that he would send the National Guard to Chicago and Baltimore.
"I didn’t say when, but we’re going in,” he told reporters, referring to his plans for Chicago. "This isn't a political thing. I have an obligation. When we lose, 20 people are killed over the last two-and-a-half weeks."
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson swiftly condemned the action.
"He just wants his own secret police force that will do publicity stunts whenever his poll numbers are sinking, whenever his jobs report shows a stagnating economy, whenever he needs another distraction from his failures," he told reporters.
Trump's health concerns
On July 17, White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said Trump was experiencing swelling in his lower legs and bruising on his right hand after photos showed him with swollen ankles and makeup covering part of his hand.
His physician, Sean Barbabella, said in a letter released by the White House that tests confirmed the leg issue was due to "chronic venous insufficiency," a benign and common condition, especially in people over 70.
The doctor said the bruising on Trump's hand was consistent with minor soft tissue irritation from frequent handshaking and aspirin use, which Trump takes as part of a "standard cardiovascular prevention regimen."
Since then, the White House has played down concerns about Trump’s health, saying he is taking the leg issue in stride, without detailing how it is being treated.
Trump, 79, in January became the oldest person to assume the US presidency.