Dick Cheney’s former cardiologist has doubled down on his fears about President Donald Trump’s failing health after his fast and furious address to the nation.
Dr. Jonathan Reiner, who is also CNN’s medical analyst, said it was “jarring” to see Trump tear through a “30-minute speech… in 18 minutes.”
“No one should be happy to see the president like this,” the cardiac expert said. “He looks unwell.”
Reiner, a professor of medicine and surgery at George Washington University, told Jake Tapper on CNN’s The Lead on Thursday that it was the unfamiliar cadence, not the familiar content, of Trump’s speech that alarmed him.
“It was delivered with a manic cadence, almost a frantic cadence,” Reiner said, comparing it to listening to a podcast on double speed.
“That kind of manic delivery was very, very disturbing,” he said, noting it was a “Very, very pressurized speech.”
“And as the address went on, the cadence of his remarks became quicker. And we‘ve never seen the president like that. He seemed almost frantic. And it was disturbing to watch.”
He added, “It was disturbing because he’s the commander in chief… and it was disturbing to see him with such an uncontrolled cadence.”
Tapper also asked Reiner’s medical opinion on Trump struggling to keep his eyes open during an Oval Office event on Thursday, where he signed an executive order to reclassify marijuana as a low-risk drug.
Reiner pointed out that nodding off has become a habit for the president, even when people are talking directly to him, saying it was “increased daytime somnolence” or excessive daytime sleepiness.
The doctor said one cause of that is sleep apnea, an affliction where people struggle to sleep or wake up often during the night and don’t get “restorative” sleep.
People with sleep apnea generally wear a CPAP mask at night to help their breathing and improve sleep.
“We‘ve never been told the president has sleep apnea,” Reiner said. “So it‘s jarring to see the president go from basically asleep in the Oval Office to this rapid-fire pace… basically a 30-minute speech that he gave in 18 minutes.”
The cardiac expert repeated his theory that nobody should have ignored what they saw in the address to the nation.
“No one should be happy to see that,” Reiner said. “Certainly his supporters shouldn‘t have been happy to see him so loud and almost out of control. And his detractors should not be happy to see him… the President of the United States should be well.”
The Daily Beast has contacted the White House for comment.
Reiner also suggested the White House has been less than transparent about the 79-year-old’s ongoing health issues, which the Daily Beast has been reporting on for several months.
“He has the chronic bruise,” Reiner said of the persistent bruising on Trump’s right hand, which was covered in bandages earlier this month.
“He has swollen ankles. He‘s had these mysterious scans. We mentioned the daytime somnolence. And then last night‘s speech.”