Donald Trump stops off for snack food at a petrol station during his presidential campaign in 2016.
Camera IconDonald Trump stops off for snack food at a petrol station during his presidential campaign in 2016. Credit: Getty Images, Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Doubt over US President Donald Trump’s weight gives rise to Twitter ‘Girther’ movement

The SunNews Corp Australia

A NEW social media “movement” demanding Donald Trump step on the scales live on TV is gaining momentum.

It comes after White House doctor Ronny Jackson found the US President to be 190 centimetres, weighing 107 kilograms, putting him in the overweight category, reports The Sun.

But hundreds of people tweeting with the #GirtherMovement hashtag are accusing the US president, 71, of lying about his weight.

The term is a play on the “birther” movement spawned by Mr Trump in 2011, when he repeatedly called for then-President Barack Obama to show his birth certificate. Mr Trump alleged he was born in Kenya and not eligible to lead the country.

Get in front of tomorrow's news for FREE

Journalism for the curious Australian across politics, business, culture and opinion.

READ NOW
Donald Trump lays a lot of golf but is apparently not fond of any other forms of exercise.
Camera IconDonald Trump lays a lot of golf but is apparently not fond of any other forms of exercise. Credit: AP, AP/EEvan Vucci

Calls for him to reveal his weight more transparently are being led by Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn, who offered to cough up US$100,000 (A$140,000) to Mr Trump’s favourite charity if he complies.

He said: “I will give 100 thousand dollars to Trump’s favourite charity if he will step on an accurate scale with an impartial medical professional, okayed by both of us. For real.”

Gunn, 51, shared several photos of Mr Trump next to much slimmer men — often athletes — who are known to weigh around 100kg or less.

One example was Los Angeles-based baseball player Albert Pujol, who Gunn said was also 190cm and 108kg.

Several others followed suit, comparing the 45th president who allegedly has a penchant for McDonald’s, to the likes of New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady.

One cheeky user even put him next to a ripped Colin Kaepernick, the former San Francisco 49ers player who Mr Trump criticised for kneeling during the national anthem.

Mr Trump’s body mass index (BMI) of 29.9 put him in the overweight category — and on the brink of obese — for his alleged height at 190cm.

He is known to enjoy high-fat foods like fried chicken, hamburgers and steak — and while he plays golf, he does not have a daily exercise routine.

Mr Trump takes Crestor for his cholesterol, a low-dose aspirin for heart attack prevention, Propecia to treat male-pattern baldness and antibiotics for rosacea.

Donald Trump has spoken about his love of McDonald's.
Camera IconDonald Trump has spoken about his love of McDonald's. Credit: Supplied, Instagram

The anti-hair loss tablets have been linked to depression, a reduced sex drive and erectile problems.

But the US president performed “exceedingly well” on cognitive screening, which is not standard but was requested by Mr Trump.

The doctor said he had “absolutely no concerns”, adding: “He’s very sharp. He’s very articulate when he speaks to me.

“I’ve never known him to repeat himself when he’s around me. I found no reason whatsoever to think the president has any issues whatsoever with his thought process.”

Mr Trump’s mental fitness for the job had come under intense scrutiny after the controversial best-selling book Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House, portrayed him as childlike and mercurial.

Past presidents are not known to have been tested for mental acuity while in office — including Ronald Reagan, who five years after leaving the White House was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease.

Dr Jackson, who speaks with Mr Trump a few times a day and travels with him, said he did not think the US president needed cognitive testing based on medical guidelines — but added the 30-question Montreal Cognitive Assessment at Mr Trump’s request.

The test looks for signs of dementia or Alzheimer’s, an incurable, degenerative brain disease, but doesn’t assess psychiatric fitness.

Sample questions include asking the patient to draw a clock face, putting in all of the numbers and setting the clock hands to a specific time.

White House physician Dr. Ronny Jackson told reporters that Donald Trump was in “excellent health”.
Camera IconWhite House physician Dr. Ronny Jackson told reporters that Donald Trump was in “excellent health”. Credit: AP, AP/Manuel Balce Ceneta

Dr Jackson said Trump scored 30 out of 30 on the test, adding: “The president is mentally very sharp, very intact.”

Mr Trump underwent the medical exam at Walter Reed National Medical Centre last week and Dr Jackson issued a blanket declaration that Mr Trump was in “excellent health”.

Dr Jackson said he had every confidence that the president “has a very strong and a very probable possibility of making it completely through his presidency with no medical issues”.

He also has no heart disease and no family history of it.

Dr Jackson said he would increase Mr Trump’s daily dose of Crestor and bring in a nutritionist to work with White House chefs.

The doctor also said he would also design a daily exercise program for Mr Trump, recommending a low-impact exercise routine like a stationary bike.

Dr Jackson said: “He’s more enthusiastic about the diet part than the exercise part, but we’re going to do both.”

This story was originally published in The Sun and is reprinted with permission.