Univision wasted no time jumping on the speculative bandwagon concerning President Donald Trump's health, and the reasons behind an unscheduled visit to the Walter Reed Hospital last Saturday.
Leveraging multiple platforms including Univision News’ daytime Digital Edition, English-language UNews on Fusion, and Univision.com, the network called upon the expertise of its chief medical correspondent Dr. Juan Rivera, who proceeded to guess as to the reasons behind the “emergency visit (?)”, per the chyron at Digital Edition´s report. Watch the report in its entirety below (click "Expand" to view full transcript):
CAROLINA SARASSA, ANCHOR, UNIVISIÓN: This Saturday, you've probably seen it, President Trump made a visit to Walter Reed National Medical Center. The White House said it was for a routine checkup. That appointment was not on his calendar of public activities this weekend. Now, to talk a little more about this topic, we contacted our Chief Medical Correspondent of Univision, Dr. Juan Rivera. Doctor, welcome, tell us. What has really raised suspicions about this visit from the president?
JUAN RIVERA, DOCTOR: Hi, how are you? Several things have raised suspicions. The first is that the president's annual medical checkup is usually scheduled and so, the, the media usually know when it's going to be done, usually it's at the beginning of the year.
The other thing is that, basically, there we see in this video, how Dr. Sean Conley, who is this person with, like a portfolio in his hand and is getting into in the car, that is the White House doctor who usually does not accompany the president to the checkups at Walter Reed.
The other thing, too, we know that in the White House they have the facilities to serve anyone, not only the president but any employee for basic reasons, they perform laboratories, electrocardiograms. So if they went to Walter Reed, it may be because they may have needed a more advanced test.
I also know that usually when President Trump leaves the White House to Walter Reed for his physical exams, they do it in Marine One, the helicopter and this time right, they drove him in a car. So, there are several things that are obviously out of the ordinary and that raise suspicions. Most importantly, we hope that the president is in good health, which is what really, most importantly, we want everyone to be okay.
BORJA VOCES, CO-ANCHOR, UNIVISION: Well. Doctor, thank you very much for connecting with us. We also have to say that sources in the White House had already said that he moved up his doctor's appointment because he expects next year is going to be a very complicated year and that maybe he won't have much time and that's precisely why he wanted to go to the hospital for his annual checkups.
SARASSA: Well, let's remember the last time we specifically learned about President Donald Trump's health condition, his general practitioner said everything was fine and that he even loved eating McDonald's food.
VOICES: Well….
Given carte blanche to detail several theories for such a newsworthy event (NOT), Univision´s doctor trafficked in pure speculation. From disapproving of the president for being too public, now the media is alarmed when he decides to keep a medical appointment private. Is having his trusted doctor tag along for his annual hospital checkup a red flag about something more serious? Hardly, but Rivera hyped it as such.
Only at the very end of the report did co-anchor Borja Voces actually explain the reason for president Donald Trump´s visit to the hospital on Saturday: The White House had already said that he moved up his doctor's appointment because he expects next year is going to be a very complicated year and that maybe he won't have much time and that's precisely why he wanted to go to the hospital for his annual checkups. And at point, Sarassa went in with the McDonald’s joke.
Apparently, there´s nothing better to talk about at Univision these days.
