Don Lemon doesn’t buy what the White House is saying about Donald Trump’s health.
Speaking on The Daily Beast’s podcast this week, the former CNN anchor said that given Trump’s history with COVID-19 in 2020, Americans should be skeptical about the administration’s latest updates on the president’s condition.
“I think that he is sicker than the administration is letting on… and by evidence only: history is the evidence,” Lemon told host Joanna Coles.
Back in the fall of 2020, Lemon was on air when the news first broke that both Donald and Melania Trump had contracted the virus. He recalled watching Trump leave the White House for Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. “When Donald Trump walked out of the White House to walk to Marine One and then go on to the hospital, he looked terrible, but he was sicker than we knew, and no one told us about it,” he said.
At the time, White House physician Dr. Sean Conley withheld the fact that Trump was on supplemental oxygen, and the public was left trying to reconcile his reassurances with Chief of Staff Mark Meadows’ more troubling account of the president’s state. Officials also dodged questions about when Trump had last tested negative.
For Lemon, that episode was telling. “There’s nothing that leads me to believe that they would be more transparent about it now.”
BREAKING: Trump has been diagnosed with chronic venous insufficiency.
Chronic venous insufficiency (CVI) is a condition where blood doesn’t efficiently return from the legs to the heart, often due to damaged valves in the veins. This can lead to a range of symptoms, including… pic.twitter.com/z8T8BYRQvl
— Brian Krassenstein (@krassenstein) July 17, 2025
This summer, the White House disclosed that Trump had been diagnosed with chronic venous insufficiency (CVI), a condition that hampers circulation and has left him with swelling in his ankles. Visible bruises on his hand were attributed to heavy handshaking and aspirin use. At 79, Lemon noted, such signs of aging are hardly surprising. Still, he believes the public isn’t getting the full picture. “So, I think he’s probably sicker than they’re letting on,” he said. “And I wish there was more transparency because this administration seems to be more concerned about Joe Biden’s alleged cognitive issues, and he’s not even in office anymore. And I think they should be more transparent about Donald Trump’s issues.”
Lemon argued that reporters in the briefing room should hold Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt accountable with more follow-up questions rather than letting her avoid it. “I can’t watch live. I can only watch the clips because it’s so infuriating and frustrating because they don’t allow people to push back in a significant manner. They want to move on quickly,” he said.
“She’ll say, you know, ‘Joanna,’ and you’ll ask a question, and then she just sort of either lies about it or obfuscates or deflects, and then she goes, ‘Bob,’ and you’re like, ‘Whoa, whoa, whoa, wait!’” he added.
Make no mistake about it: Trump wasn’t just diagnosed with CVI, a serious condition that can lead to heart failure. Visible leg swelling means he’s already at Stage 3, not the beginning. He likely knew for months, probably even before the election, and only disclosed it now… pic.twitter.com/imxvQoHbDo
— Republicans against Trump (@RpsAgainstTrump) July 17, 2025
“If you aren’t allowed, Joanna, to follow up on something that’s very important, I think the next journalist should say, ‘Why don’t you answer my colleague’s question?’” Lemon continued. “But they don’t do that. So I think they should be pressing her about a lot of things about Donald Trump’s health.”
When asked for comment, the White House leaned on former presidential physician Ronny Jackson, now a Republican congressman from Texas. Jackson, who has long defended Trump’s health, said, “He is the healthiest president this nation has ever seen. I continue to consult with his current physician and medical team at the White House and still spend significant time with the President. He is mentally and physically sharper than ever before.”
Communications Director Steven Cheung took a harsher tone. He lashed out at Lemon and Coles directly. “Joanna Coles and Don Lemon are two dip—t losers who have been fired from every job they’ve held. None of those two morons are capable of telling the truth, because they suffer from a debilitating case of Trump Derangement Syndrome that has rotted their pea-sized brains.”
