Critics argue that Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt may not be the sharpest choice in the box, and she effectively gave weight to that barb with a social media post that, instead of praising President Donald Trump for expediting a new health initiative, suggested he might be the one receiving treatment.
The boast backfired spectacularly after she inadvertently framed it less as a policy win and more as if the 79-year-old Trump were undergoing accelerated treatment for “Serious Mental Illness.”
In a post on X on Monday, April 20, Leavitt proudly announced, “Fact Sheet: President Donald J. Trump is Accelerating Medical Treatments for Serious Mental Illness.”
What she was actually referencing was an executive order the president signed over the weekend to broaden the availability of certain psychedelic drugs for mental health treatment, such as anxiety and depression, NPR reports.
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During the signing ceremony, as he was surrounded by supporters, including Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the CMS administrator Dr. Memet Oz, and conservative podcast host Joe Rogan, Trump quipped, “Can I have some, please?”
After Leavitt’s Monday post, the internet erupted in mockery and derision.
Trump’s longtime rival and foe, California Democrat Gov. Gavin Newsom, who has been poking fun at the president on social media since Trump began his second term last January, jumped on Leavitt’s post and jokingly asked, “For himself?”
The Daily Beast reached out to the White House for a response to the governor’s comment.
“Only scumbags like Gavin Newsom would attempt to mock President Trump for signing an Executive Order that will accelerate access to treatments for veterans and other Americans who are struggling,” White House spokesman Davis Ingle told the outlet.
But Newsom wasn’t the only one who saw Leavitt’s post and mocked her.
“I see you’re copying the grammatically incorrect president by capitalizing words that shouldn’t be. Looks super dumb,” one X user commented.
Another chimed in, “Did anyone read this out loud to you before you sent it?”
Trump’s physical and mental health and his fitness for office have repeatedly made headlines over the past year.
Just in the last month-and-a-half, the president launched an unapproved and deadly confrontation with Iran, threatened to annihilate Tehran in a social media post warning that “a whole civilization will die tonight,” criticized Pope Leo XIV for expressing concern about the loss of life in Trump’s war and said the pontiff wanted to see “a nuclear-armed Iran,” blamed U.S. allies for not helping him escape the crisis he created and more.
Trump’s health problems are well-documented, too. He has boasted about taking three cognitive tests last year, which are used to assess and diagnose dementia, confusing them with IQ tests. He suffers from recurring purple bruising on his hands and swollen ankles from chronic venous insufficiency.
The White House has consistently denied that Trump suffers from any health problems and routinely gaslights reporters on any questions surrounding the president’s health.
Trump is also the oldest president to ever assume office. He was 78 years and seven months old when he started his second term in January 2025.
