Former President Donald Trump wants people to know he’s “the healthiest guy” — even healthier than former President Barack Obama.
While off on a tangent criticizing President Joe Biden’s mental acuity at a rally in Coralville, Iowa, on Wednesday, Trump bragged that he passed a recent physical examination “with flying colors” and “aced” a cognitive exam.
He then brought up Representative Ronny Jackson, the Trump-loving former White House physician and conspiracy theorist known for his out-there praise of the former president.
“He was my doctor. He was Obama’s doctor, too, by the way,” Trump told the crowd. “I said, ‘Who’s healthier?’ He said, ‘Sir, there’s no contest.’ I won’t tell you the answer, but you know the answer, OK? It was me.”
Obama ended his presidency at 55 years old. Trump was 74 when he left office.
“He said ‘You’re the healthiest guy,’” Trump continued. “He said, ‘If he didn’t eat junk food, he’d live to 200 years old.’ That’s my kind of a doctor.”
That anecdote is actually true. In 2018, Jackson gave a fawning assessment of Trump’s health to the media, and said he “told the president that if he had a healthier diet over the last 20 years he might live to be 200 years old.”
Last month, Trump released a vague letter from his doctor stating he is in “excellent” health and his “cognitive exams were exceptional.”
The Republican presidential front-runner has since brought it up repeatedly, amid skepticism and scrutiny over a series of blunders he’s made in recent months, including referring to Obama as the sitting president on multiple occasions.
Trump persistently attacks Biden, who is also gaffe-prone, as unfit for office, while touting his own bill of health, including a “very hard” cognitive test he says he passed as president that required him, in part, to remember five words in a row.
Trump has long been obsessed with Obama, questioning everything from his birthplace to his academic background, and comparing their policies and accomplishments.