On Tuesday, White House physician Dr. Ronny Jackson appeared before the press to give the details of President Donald Trump's latest physical. According to Jackson — who was appointed by former President Barack Obama — the president is in great health, but some critics wasted no time casting doubt on Jackson's analysis.
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Most of the results were pretty straightforward. Trump aced a cognitive exam and has benefited from not drinking or smoking his entire life, Jackson said. The doctor said he is going to try to put the president on a diet but joked that the commander-in-chief might just live to be 200. At one point in the briefing, Jackson said Trump weighs 239 pounds and stands 6-foot-3. That puts his body mass index at 29.9. (You're considered obese if your BMI hits 30.) But not everybody bought that last statistic.
More than a few people pointed to a photo of Trump standing side-by-side with Obama, who is 6-foot-1, and the men appear to be the same height.
There were also dozens of people who pointed to athletes with the same dimensions as Trump.
MSNBC's Chris Hayes even termed the doctor doubters "girthers" — a stab at the "birther" conspiracy theorists who insisted that Obama was not born in the United States.
On Wednesday morning, "Morning Joe" host Joe Scarborough also cast doubts on the results that Jackson gave to the press. At one point in his segment, Scarborough said, "All I can tell you is this: If that's what 239 pounds looks like, I would weigh 170 pounds. So yes, I have great respect for people who – great respect for this doctor, but if that's what 6-foot-3, 239 pounds looks like, that's a shock to me."
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