President Donald Trump’s health saga took a stranger turn this week when the White House tried to stamp out questions over his bruised right hand. But instead of relying on his actual physician, officials handed the microphone to Ronny Jackson — a disgraced former Navy rear admiral turned congressman whose medical license lapsed years ago.
Considering the administration’s go-to boast that Trump is “the most transparent and accessible president in history,” the internet didn’t let the obvious contradiction slide.
Jackson, 58, isn’t part of Trump’s medical team today. He does, however, hold the distinction of serving as White House physician for both Obama and Trump during his first term.
His reputation unraveled years ago. A damaging Pentagon inspector general report found Jackson drank on duty, fostered a hostile work environment, and passed out prescription pills so loosely that colleagues called him the “Candyman,” the Texas Tribune reported.
By 2022, his medical license had lapsed, restricting him to emergency care only, according to Business Insider.
None of that stopped the White House from trotting him out this week.
In a statement provided to The Daily Beast on Tuesday, Aug. 26, Jackson stated, “As President Trump’s former personal physician, former Physician to the President, and White House physician for 14 years across three administrations, I can tell you unequivocally: President Donald J. Trump is the healthiest president this nation has ever seen.”
He went on to claim that he “continues to consult with [Trump’s] current physician and medical team at the White House” and still “spend[s] significant time with the President,” assuring everyone that Trump is “mentally and physically sharper than ever before.”
Why did the White House sidestep its actual physician and turn instead to a man demoted by the Navy and barred from practicing medicine outside emergencies?
Not surprisingly, the stunt didn’t go over too well on social media.
“Oh..big media is actually saying this out loud?” one Threads user wrote.
“Oh he must be in bad shape when he whips out Dr. Ronnie, the drunken unlicensed ex doctor,” said another.
“What’s so unusual about that? He previously lied about Trump’s height and weight, what’s another lie going to hurt?” quipped a third.
Another added, “God they are such idiots. Who on earth do they think. Is going to believe anything they say. You just have to look at the felon to see he is on his way out . The White House if full of liars and idiots”
The public’s concern just continues to grow.
Recent photos from the White House on Monday showed his right hand caked in makeup to mask dark bruising, before later shots revealed a large purplish mark on the back of the hand. Clips of Trump dragging his leg while golfing in Virginia added to the chatter. By this week, users were even pulling up Queen Elizabeth II’s final public photos — which showed bruised hands just days before her death — to draw eerie comparisons, according to Today.
Leavitt has only complicated the messaging.
Earlier this week she gave an easy volley to the administration’s detractors when she tweeted a reminder that “President Trump is the most transparent and accessible President in American history!” after a reporter comlained about being called to the oval office several times for Trump’s marathon meetings.
Leavitt’s tweet invited backlash on everything Trump’s been accused of hiding. From his financial records, medical records and those Epstein files.
One user jumped right in, “It’s painfully obvious. Nearly 9 months into 2025 and still no Epstein files.”
“Trump is calling the press pool into the Oval Office for a third time today. Never seen this before,” he tweeted.
“Not too transparent about his own health is he, Karoline?” one user replied to Leavitt’s tweet. “Of course. He did not even try to hide it,” said another.
“Transparency isn’t a buzzword,” another said. “It means medical records, financial records. He hides it all.”
The White House opting to lean on Jackson who has a his history of exaggerations about Trump’s health is disconcerting. In 2018, he told reporters Trump had “incredible genes” and might “live to 200 years old” if he ate better, NBC News reported at the time.
Those claims were dismissed as sycophantic then. Repeating the same script now, with the president’s visible health issues under scrutiny and his press secretary promising openness, only widens the gap between what the Trump administration believes versus reality.
