MSNBC host and former Biden press secretary Jen Psaki drew backlash this week after speculating about President Donald Trump’s health and questioning why he “spent a week hiding” from the public, as reported by Fox News.
On Tuesday, Psaki opened her segment by pointing to online rumors about Trump’s health, saying, “You really can’t make this stuff up sometimes.” She referenced Trump’s comments earlier that day at the White House, where the President denied false claims of his death.
Psaki told viewers, “And look, we may never know why Donald Trump suddenly spent a week hiding entirely from the American public, but you don’t actually need baseless online conspiracies to explain why he might not want to show his face in public right now.”
Here's What They're Not Telling You About Your Retirement
Trump told reporters he had been “very active” over Labor Day weekend, but Psaki offered her own theories for why the President had limited appearances.
She cited a Wall Street Journal poll showing only 25 percent of Americans believe they have a good chance of improving their standard of living, calling it “a new low in nearly four decades of polling.”
Psaki also referenced Trump’s past association with Jeffrey Epstein, claiming, “Maybe the biggest reason Trump has been so shy recently is that a lot of this pushback appears to be working.”
FREE Gun Law Map: Laws Don't Pause During Social Unrest
Her remarks quickly drew criticism. Conservative commentators and social media users accused Psaki of hypocrisy for raising questions about Trump’s health after previously downplaying concerns over former President Joe Biden’s cognitive decline.
Before the June 2024 debate in Atlanta, Psaki had dismissed questions about Biden’s age.
RealClearPolitics co-founder Tom Bevan commented on X that Psaki was correct about one point, quoting her line, “You can’t make this stuff up.”
She’s right about one thing: you can’t make this stuff up.
Psaki: "We May Never Know Why Trump Spent A Week Hiding Entirely From The American Public" https://t.co/FvWaPSBLgE — Tom Bevan (@TomBevanRCP) September 3, 2025
One user called her remarks “hypocrisy at its finest.”
It's called hypocrisy at its finest. https://t.co/bBruOfb5Ke
— Angela (@angassistant) September 3, 2025
Another wrote, “Just incredible that Jen Psaki is trying this. Astonishing even.”
Just incredible that Jen Psaki is trying this. Astonishing even. https://t.co/1inmxMFfuS
— Bonchie (@bonchieredstate) September 3, 2025
Martha Zoller, a conservative political commentator, added that Psaki had “no authority to comment on this” given her service under Biden.
Hey @jrpsaki! I'm not a Trumper but a conservative Republican but you have no authority to comment on this since you worked for @JoeBiden https://t.co/IUi1U744xD
— MarthaZoller (@MarthaZoller) September 3, 2025
In a May 2024 episode of the “Mixed Signals” podcast, Psaki insisted she had never witnessed a diminished Biden while working at the White House.
“I never saw that person — not a single time, and I was in the Oval Office every day, that was on that debate stage,” Psaki said, later acknowledging, “I’m not a doctor. Aging happens quite quickly.”
Psaki joined MSNBC in 2022 and has often defended Biden on-air. In 2023, she told viewers:
“Joe Biden isn’t perfect. No candidate is, by the way. But we have to understand what the alternative is here. If elected to a second term, Donald Trump would prosecute anyone he deems an enemy, unleash troops on protesters, and essentially unravel the rule of law as we know it.”
Neither MSNBC nor the White House immediately responded to requests for comment on Psaki’s latest remarks.
Join the Discussion
COMMENTS POLICY: We have no tolerance for messages of violence, racism, vulgarity, obscenity or other such discourteous behavior. Thank you for contributing to a respectful and useful online dialogue.