Former CNN Anchor Don Lemon Says White House Is Not Fully Transparent About Donald Trump’s Health

Former CNN anchor Don Lemon said on July 23, 2024, that President Donald Trump’s health is worse than the White House has disclosed and urged greater transparency from the administration and the press corps.

Lemon made the remarks on The Daily Beast Podcast, recounting Trump’s October 2020 COVID-19 illness and treatment at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. He said he remembered reporting that Trump and First Lady Melania Trump had COVID, and that when Trump left the White House en route to the hospital “he looked terrible,” adding this raised long-standing doubts about how fully the White House had disclosed his condition.

Lemon recalled the uncertainty in 2020, noting that White House physician Dr. Sean Conley initially failed to report that Trump had been given supplemental oxygen, and that Conley and then–Chief of Staff Mark Meadows issued inconsistent accounts of the president’s condition. He argued that that episode justifies doubt about the administration’s present disclosures.

In July 2024 the White House disclosed that Trump has been diagnosed with chronic venous insufficiency (CVI). Observers have noted swelling in his ankles and bruising on the back of his right hand; the administration said the bruises result from frequent handshakes and aspirin use. Lemon described those symptoms as a common part of aging but said he still suspects the president is “probably sicker than they’re letting on.”

Lemon called for more persistent follow-up questioning by reporters during White House briefings, criticizing Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt’s handling of follow-ups and urging the press corps to press the administration more on the president’s health.

In response to a request for comment, the White House provided a statement from former White House physician and current Texas congressman Ronny Jackson asserting that Trump “is the healthiest president this nation has ever seen” and that he remains “mentally and physically sharper than ever before.” White House Communications Director Steven Cheung also issued a statement criticizing Lemon and The Daily Beast host Joanna Coles.