Trump’s Physical Exam Starts ‘Girther’ Conspiracy About His Weight

ashley.rae | January 17, 2018
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In current times, commenting on someone’s weight is considered rude and, at worst, “body-shaming.” Those rules of social convention apparently don’t apply when it comes to the President of the United States, who is now the subject of a “girther” conspiracy theory perpetuated by journalists and entertainers.

During a press briefing on Tuesday, Dr. Ronny Jackson spoke about President Trump’s “excellent” health. Despite the fact that Jackson said that Trump is in good health—particularly considering his age—some seized onto the mention of Trump’s height and weight to mock him for not being as lean as professional athletes.

Dan Clark, a sports writer for the Big Leagues Daily, felt it was appropriate to compare the stature of a 71-year-old to a professional baseball player:

Dennis Perkins, who writes for the AV Club, compared Trump to a football player:

Newsweek breaking news editor Gersh Kuntzman decided Trump’s height was fudged in order to put his weight out of the “obese” category:

James Gunn, the director for the “Guardians of the Galaxy” movies, even offered $100 thousand dollars to charity of Trump would step on a scale for him:

When called out on mentioning Trump’s weight, Gunn said that he isn’t trying to shame Trump for his weight, but rather stop him from “fabricating facts.”

While many had a field day with talk of Trump’s size, some pointing out the doctor who performed the physical is the same doctor who performed former President Obama’s:

Mic writer A.P. Joyce said the White House press pool engaged in “ableism and body shaming,” which are reportedly not ways to get Trump out of the White House:

Even after Jackson made clear that Trump’s health is relatively normal for a man his age, the press corps continued to pursue a line of questioning that bordered on ableism and body shaming.

For all of the talk about Trump’s physical and mental fitness, it appears that even an actual physical exam won’t be enough to appease the calls for him to be removed from office for being "unfit."

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