When the White House press secretary presented a mammoth book detailing President Trump’s healthcare policies to CBS journalist Lesley Stahl, the moment was supposed to be a cheeky illustration of an administration hard at work. Instead, images of the moment unleashed a tidal wave of online snark.
Critics said policy shouldn’t be judged by weight of documents and, when Trump released more pictures of Stahl struggling to hold the heavy tome, eagle-eyed observers claimed the pages looked blank.
The White House was quickly inundated with skeptical requests for a look inside the book.
The Washington Examiner has obtained a PDF of the contents, which shows its 512 pages contain 13 executive orders and 11 other pieces of healthcare legislation enacted under Trump. Further investigation confirmed that it matched the physical book’s contents.
White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said: “This book contains all of the executive orders and legislation President Trump has signed, which have brought down healthcare premiums and drug costs that were skyrocketing during Obama/Biden; increased access to care while Obama/Biden lied that you would be able to keep your doctor and your plan; and improved the quality of care, including protecting preexisting conditions.”
The controversy is the latest twist in Trump’s abbreviated 60 Minutes interview with Stahl. He reportedly cut the encounter short in protest at hostile lines of questioning and has since threatened to derail Sunday’s episode by releasing the White House’s own recording.
Handing Lesley Stahl just a small part of what President @realDonaldTrump has done for healthcare in the United States.
She couldn’t believe how HUGE it was and said, “I can hardly lift this‼️” pic.twitter.com/RSWrzKo1or
— Kayleigh McEnany (@PressSec) October 20, 2020
On Tuesday, McEnany published a picture of Stahl with the healthcare book.
And a day later, Trump released more images of the moment. They show a beaming McEnany handing over the book before, seconds later, Stahl’s knees buckle as she grapples with its weight.
Kayleigh McEnany presenting Lesley Stahl (@60Minutes) with some of the many things we’ve done for Healthcare. Lesley had no idea! pic.twitter.com/8bfIxkFiXt
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 21, 2020
Viewers were quick to suggest that magnified versions of the final photograph revealed empty pages.
Did the White House really hand Leslie Stahl a 2,500 page binder of blank pages that they said was Trump’s health care plan ?
— Sam Stein (@samstein) October 21, 2020
Far from being blank, its pages include passages from the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 setting out the repeal of the individual mandate, last month’s executive order detailing Trump’s vision for healthcare, and a slew of other documents.
On top were pages of another document, entitled “America First Healthcare Plan.”
McEnany said: “The America First Healthcare Plan lays out President Trump’s second term vision animated by the principles that have brought us lower cost, more choice, and better care.”
A senior administration official said it was expected that Stahl would return the book imminently as it formed part of the official record.
