Donald Trump is striking back at MSNBC’s “garbage” coverage of his health. The President spoke up against reporter Lawrence O’Donnell and his coverage of the 79-year-old’s health. Trump went out to call the channel for allegedly spreading “fake news.”
The President took to Truth Social to pen a lengthy post that called out MSNBC and their coverage of his alleged declining health. Trump publicly calling the channel out came after O’Donnell mocked his chronic venous insufficiency diagnosis.
The anchor who hosts The Last Word previously joked about how the 79-year-old made an active effort to keep his ankles after the news of his diagnosis came out. O’Donnell was quick to point out how Trump decided to ditch his usual place by the fireplace to hide the swelling in his cankles.
Instead, the President noticeably sat behind the Resolute desk during a meeting. The anchor theorized that it wasn’t just a coincidence but a strategic move made by Trump to avoid getting photographs of his ankles taken.
On the show, O’Donnell joked about how the President decided to take a seat behind the desk so “no one was going to compare his ankles to a French president’s ankles or a German chancellor’s or a British prime minister’s.”
It is safe to say that the joke rubbed Trump the wrong way if the post that he penned on Truth Social in all caps is any indication. “MSNBC IS DOING SO POORLY IN THE RATINGS THAT THEY ARE LOOKING TO CHANGE THEIR NAME IN ORDER TO GET AWAY FROM THE STENCH OF THEIR FAKE NEWS PRODUCT,” he began.
🚨BREAKING: President Trump takes to Truth Social to call out MSNBC for their bad-faith rebranding. He is right, they’re only rebranding to escape the stench of their product that will be a failure regardless of its name.
Also, “CONcast”.. 🤭😂 pic.twitter.com/8lBdjEkE0s
— 𝕋𝕙𝕖 𝔾𝕠𝕝𝕕𝕖𝕟 𝔸𝕘𝕖 𝕋𝕚𝕞𝕖𝕤 🇺🇸🖤 (@GoldenAgeTimes2) August 21, 2025
He went on to call the owner of the channel “WEAK” and “INEFFECTIVE.” The President also labelled Brian Roberts “DOPEY.” He added with further frustration, “HOPELESSLY AND AIMLESSLY FLAILING IN THE WIND IN AN ATTEMPT TO DISASSOCIATE ITSELF FROM THE GARBAGE THAT THEY CREATED!” Trump ended his rant by accusing MSNBC of being a “FAILURE.”
O’Donnell’s mockery of the President’s health wasn’t a one-off thing either. The anchor also pointed out Trump’s swollen ankles after his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The host noted how Putin’s “72-year-old ankles showed none of the mileage” of the American President’s. The criticism didn’t stop there. He claimed that the President’s worsening health could be blamed on his diet and his infamous love for McDonald’s.
Trump’s ankles are extremely swollen 😬
See Putin’s for comparison. pic.twitter.com/dtzxWi2CL7
— Nick Freiling (@NickFreiling) August 16, 2025
“That’s one of the ways a lifetime of McDonald’s junk food catches up with you,” the MSNBC reporter noted. He joked about how the Big Macs that the President consumes will show up in his ankles and hang over “the edge of your shoes.”
In July, the White House disclosed the news of the President’s CVI diagnosis. White House physician Sean Barbabella noted that Trump “remains in excellent health” despite his diagnosis.
