Trump’s Secret Walter Reed Visit Was So Serious That Pence Was Preparing To Take Over Duties

Donald Trump’s secret visit to Walter Reed last fall was reportedly so serious that the White House told Vice President Mike Pence to remain on “standby” in case he needed to take over the president’s duties.

The shocking revelation comes in a new book by New York Times reporter Michael Schmidt, which is set to be released on Tuesday.

According to The Times, “Describing Trump’s unexpected November 2019 visit to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, [Schmidt] reports the White House wanted Mike Pence ‘on standby to take over the powers of the presidency temporarily if Trump had to undergo a procedure that would have required him to be anesthetized.'”

As PoliticusUSA’s Jason Easley noted at the time of Trump’s sudden hospital trip, “Presidents don’t go to Walter Reed in a secret manner for routine tests and physicals. … The president can have the standard physical done in the White House.”

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The fact that Trump needed to be rushed to the hospital in the first place was troubling enough. It’s worse still that Mike Pence was told to prepare for the president to undergo a procedure in which he wouldn’t be able to carry out the duties of his office.

Where is the media on this story?

During the 2016 campaign, the media went into a full frenzy over Hillary Clinton’s bout of pneumonia, giving the story wall-to-wall coverage after she appeared unsteady at the Sept. 11 memorial service.

When the news of Trump’s visit to Walter Reed became public last year, it barely registered in the media and was quickly brushed under the rug. It became another Trump controversy that got lost in the chaos of this presidency.

But the new details revealed in Schmidt’s book deserve widespread attention and concern. Clearly, the president’s visit to Walter Reed was not routine.

If there is something wrong with Donald Trump, the American people deserve to know before they cast their ballots in November.

As conservative columnist Jennifer Rubin wrote on Monday, “Release the medical records – NOW.”

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Sean Colarossi

Sean Colarossi currently resides in Cleveland, Ohio. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and was an organizing fellow for both of President Obama’s presidential campaigns. He also worked with Planned Parenthood as an Affordable Care Act Outreach Organizer in 2014, helping northeast Ohio residents obtain health insurance coverage.