Opinions
We can stop this entire impeachment process right now
By Jennifer Rubin
November 19 at 6:00 AM PT
Members of a U.S. Secret Service response team outside Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on Saturday, as President Trump made a surprise visit to the facility. (Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP)
The Post reports:
President Trump’s impromptu weekend visit to a doctor remained shrouded in secrecy Monday as he stayed away from the public eye and the White House dodged questions about his health.
Trump, 73, made an unscheduled trip to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Md., on Saturday, later saying on Twitter that he had begun “phase one” of his annual physical exam and that the results had been “very good.”
Many others have noted that minor medical procedures and tests can be performed at the White House, raising the question as to what Walter Reed had that Trump needed on the spur of the moment. It’s also loopy to think you can take an “annual” exam three months early to get it out of the way because you know you will be busy (all year?!).
Monday night, the White House released a memo from Trump’s physician, Sean Conley, insisting, “Despite some speculation, the President has not had any chest pain, nor was he evaluated or treated for any urgent or acute issues." Conley continued, “Specifically, he did not undergo any specialized cardiac or neurologic evaluations.” That only deepened suspicions. (What’s urgent as opposed to serious?) If he could rule out specific procedures, why not tell us exactly what treatment Trump did receive?
The American people have every right to know just about everything regarding the president’s physical condition. If he refuses to provide it, voters should be wary of reelecting him, particularly since Trump is 73 years old and is considered obese. It should also not go unmentioned that he has been undergoing arguably the most rage-inducing (for him, not us) period of his presidency, a stress factor if ever there was one.
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), a candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination, suffered a heart attack last month and took a couple of days to explain it all. However, he is not in charge of our nuclear arsenal. We do need to know right now whether Trump is disabled in some respect. In any case, Sanders did come clean, which right now seems not to be under consideration by the White House.
If Trump is not well enough to run for reelection (or even get through the remainder of his term without further physical problems), let alone serve another term, there is no need to torment him, causing further physical and mental (his, not ours) harm. He should explain his health condition (or just say he has one), step down and oversee a smooth transition of power. As soon as he is out the door and headed for his new permanent residence in Florida, the witnesses and the hearings, the revelations and the scandals can be put aside. Sure, he might be prosecuted later on, but if he is in poor health, what are the chances he’d get any real jail time?
The benefits of an early retirement are considerable. He need not become the third president ever impeached. We would lose interest in his tax returns. The emoluments cases and the discovery into his finances would end. He would not have to dread a spasm of conscience or a court ruling that would provoke former national security adviser John Bolton to provide devastating testimony against him. And Trump could at least claim that when he left (if he goes quickly), the economy was not yet in a recession.
Other benefits abound. Trump would not have to capitulate in the unwinnable trade war with China. Let the new President Pence do that. Trump would not have to admit failure to denuclearize North Korea or acknowledge the dead end he has reached on his pullout from the Iran nuclear deal. Those can be Pence’s problems, as well. And, most of all, Trump would not have to worry about a humiliating loss in the 2020 election, or being blamed for “reverse coattails" (as he was in Louisiana).
I, for one, would not want to pry into the nature of Trump’s health issues, provided he leaves quickly. As a private citizen he can retain his phony extra inch (mysteriously moving from 6-foot-3 to 6-foot-4) and his pension and never leave a Trump property. No annoying NATO meetings or embarrassing encounters with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.).
Just tell us he has a health issue and go. We’ll take him at his word (for once). Just go.
Media critic Erik Wemple contrasts how Fox News, MSNBC and CNN are covering the proceedings — and suggests where you should get your news. (Joshua Carroll/The Washington Post; Kate Woodsome/The Washington Post; Danielle Kunitz/The Washington Post)
Read more:
Robert Kagan: Republicans are pushing the U.S. to accept quid pro quo as the new normal
Catherine Rampell: Trump and Republicans are on the hunt for Real Crimes
Dana Milbank: Trump-friendly judges run out the clock on impeachment
Michael Gerson: Trump spurs a Wild West of continuously worsening political rhetoric
Jennifer Rubin writes reported opinion for The Washington Post.
Democracy Dies in Darkness
