Ex-Trump aide reveals 'very specific' medical questions reporters should ask ex-president
A former staffer of the Trump administration who shot to fame on "The Apprentice" told CNN on Tuesday her old boss' town hall turned dance party shows he has nothing to say to Americans — and suggested journalists ask specific medical questions as he refuses to release his medical records.
Omarosa Manigault Newman, former director of communications for the Office of Public Liaison during the Trump administration, joined CNN anchor Laura Coates on her show late Tuesday. The two discussed Trump's town hall event, in which the MAGA leader answered a few questions before playing music and dancing for more than 40 minutes.
Newman called the spectacle "one of the most bizarre displays I've ever seen from Donald Trump," emphasizing she's known Trump since 2003.
ALSO READ: 'I'm advocating Christian nationalism': Josh Hawley's ties to Project 2025 exposed
"It really shows that Donald Trump has nothing to say to America," she said. "He has nothing to offer to America. All he has to offer is weird swaying and dancing. And at a time like this in this nation, we need more than just that. And he cannot deliver."
Coates agreed, noting Trump could've used the time to go on the offense or talk about policy.
"Instead, I'm doing the Y-M-C-A," she said. "And that just seems a very odd waste of political capital 21 days before the election."
When Coates steered the conversation toward Newman's book suggesting that Trump was showing signs of mental decline as early as 2017, Newman shared that in the first year in the White House, Trump was "unable to recall basic figures."
"He would forget the names of his cabinet members. He would forget key details of policy issues that we were talking about as we were preparing for him to go out on stage," she said.
She theorized that Trump is canceling interviews because "once he starts to stumble, he starts to pivot" — and starts attacking.
Coates played a clip of Trump bragging he aced a cognitive test but noted he refuses to release the results of the test. In response, Newman said there's "more there, there." Trump dictated what part of his medical history was released, she said.
"The doctors weren't free to write what they want. They weren't free to write what was really seen in those evaluations," she said.
Savvy reporters, she added, ought to ask "very specific" questions regarding Trump's health.
"I think they should ask about his health in terms of his heart," she said. "They should ask, 'Has Donald Trump had any issues with, for instance, stents?' 'Has he ever had a stent?' I think a journalist should ask that and see if they'll answer the true question. 'Has he had any blockage in his heart?' Wonder if they'll give any true answers about that."
Raw Story reached out to the Trump campaign about Newman's questions and will update when we hear back.