The plot thickens in the mystery of who got special access to a weight-loss drug and why. As I’ve previously written, the Trump administration arranged secret and “unusual” access to a new obesity drug for a 79-year-old man in precarious health. Donald Trump was 79 at the time, obviously obese and in worse health than his aides want us to know.
On Wednesday, Rep. Ted Lieu, vice chair of the House Democratic Caucus, sounded the alarm during a news conference. He questioned whether Trump’s bizarre cancellation of the signing of a bipartisan housing bill was an indication of his ill health. “Did he wake up on the wrong side of the bed? Is he unable to stay awake today? What’s causing him to chicken out again? Is it TACO Wednesday? Or is it side effects from a drug? We don’t know,” Lieu began.
Lieu went on to list other “concerning” behavior by Trump: “He has trouble staying awake at multiple White House events and cabinet meetings. He has, clearly, some weakness in one of his arms. He’s got swelling in his hands.”
Then Lieu brought up the “very high profile” 79-year-old who got special access to the new drug.
LIEU: This drug can only be given to someone under the compassionate use provision, meaning you do that if someone, basically, has a terminal illness. So, we need to know, did Donald Trump get this special drug from Eli Lilly? And did he get it under that provision? And if he did, why is that the case? The White House needs to come clean and tell the American people about Donald Trump’s health.
Instead of coming clean about Trump’s health, White House Communications Director Steven Cheung threw a profane hissy fit. The Daily Beast caught him tweeting, “Ted Lewd is a dumbass. He probably spent hours laughing to himself, thinking that peddling this lie would be funny. Sadly, for Ted, there’s no special new drug to cure being a bitch.”
Funny, I did not see a denial there.
Lieu had the perfect response:
Thank you White House Communications Director @StevenCheung for amplifying my remarks!
I see you didn’t answer the question I asked. Was Trump the mystery patient who received the special experimental drug by Eli Lilly under the law designed for people with terminal illnesses? https://t.co/ewKAhYNp7R
— Ted Lieu (@tedlieu) June 24, 2026
White House spokesperson Kush Desai was similarly disrespectful when STAT reporter Lizzy Lawrence, who broke the whole story, asked for comment for her article:
Because this has to be spelled out for @LizzyLaw_, who has proven herself to be an unserious gossip columnist, this application was not for the President. https://t.co/TjUOSWISmx
— Kush Desai (@KushDesai47) June 23, 2026
But that is not a denial that the drug is for Trump.
As I’ve previously reported, Sen. Maggie Hassan (D-NH) has demanded answers from Secretary Robert “Brainworm” Kennedy, Jr.
Keep up the pressure, Dems. Either Trump got special access he did not deserve or his health is so poor that his spokespeople are desperate to distract from questions about it. Possibly both.
