Reporter Responds to Trump’s ‘Sick Person’ Jab with Health Update

The Independent’s White House correspondent, Andrew Feinberg, has responded to President Donald Trump’s assertion that he was a “sick person” and that “there’s something wrong with you.” Feinberg stated in a first-person essay that he had his annual physical exam earlier this month and is in “perfect health.”

Feinberg chronicled an incident during an Oval Office event where he questioned a new program offering financial rewards for reporting fraud against the federal government. He noted that the False Claims Act already provides incentives for whistleblowers.

According to Feinberg, the exchange escalated when Trump lectured him and, in his account, unleashed his White House rapid response team. Feinberg also reported that the Vice President, from an official government account, labeled him an “imbecile.” Feinberg stated he would not use slurs such as “Mongoloid Moron,” which he attributed to Trump’s team.

Feinberg found it unusual that Trump asked him to identify himself, given their past interactions. He recalled the president winking at him earlier in the event and noted that he has covered Trump for about a decade, including numerous encounters and phone conversations.

Feinberg described the moment he believes led to the confrontation. He explained that Trump appeared to point towards him multiple times, but it seemed he intended to call on another reporter. When Feinberg began to speak, believing he was being addressed, Trump reacted negatively.

“For the record, I had an annual physical earlier this month, and I can report I’m in perfect health,” Feinberg wrote. “I was doing my job, and I’ll be right back at it tomorrow.”