Transcript
Dr. Bruce Davidson (0:00)
We see many patients who've had previous strokes for President Trump. There was video of him shuffling. Then I saw him cradling his right hand in his left. He garbled words. And that suggested to me, along with a 325 milligram of aspirin, for which you only take, for one thing, he's had prior stroke. He's suffering two kinds of complications from stroke.
Joanna Coles (0:33)
I'm Joanna Coles. This is the Daily Beast podcast. And lots of us who have been watching Donald Trump over the years realize that there are some changes in his physical appearance, in his apparent physical abilities, his speech. And of course, all of this is very easy to chronicle because he's been in public life for at least 40 years at this point. So one doctor, a pulmonologist and a board certified internist says it's very clear from looking at him, even though Donald Trump is not his patient, that the president has had a stroke. It happened last year. The fact he's been talking about taking aspirin and the amount of aspirin he's taking, 325Migs, is indicative indeed, that he's had a stroke and that he's largely recovered. But there are symptoms of having a stroke that, that this doctor has identified. And we got into a fascinating interview about what those symptoms are, how they impact decision making, how they impact reactions to certain situations and overreactions to others. And. Well, it's a really interesting conversation. Stay with us. Because he also goes through how often presidents in their role are actually not well supported by the medical teams they have around him. You would think that they would automatically get the best health care in the country, but that's not, in fact, what happens. So let's get into it with Dr. Bruce Davidson. Very excited to be joined by Dr. Bruce Davidson. Can I call you Dr. Bruce, or is that too informal?
Dr. Bruce Davidson (2:15)
No, that's fine. Whatever you like.
Joanna Coles (2:17)
All right. Dr. Bruce has such a nice ring to it. So, Dr. Bruce, when did you first observe that you thought the president might have had a stroke?
Dr. Bruce Davidson (2:29)
When I read the report of his interview with the Wall Street Journal. I didn't read that article, but I read the report that he was taking 325 milligrams of aspirin. And that is only recommended for people who've had had a stroke to prevent a second stroke from a partially blocked artery, major artery in the brain. So when I read that, I said, well, he's had a stroke and he's taking the right medication. And, and that was followed by reading several Physicians advising the public that you should never do that. And that irked me because that's wrong. I mean, the Washington Post had Dr. Wen, who was the health commissioner of Baltimore, regular columnist, apparently.
