Vice President Mike Pence told Fox News Tuesday that he does not remember being told to be “on standby to take over the powers of the presidency temporarily” if President Trump had to undergo a procedure during a visit to Walter Reed Medical Center last year.
“I don’t recall being told to be on standby,” Pence told “Special Report” host Bret Baier in an exclusive interview. “I was informed that the president had a doctor’s appointment, [but] I’ve got to tell you, part of this job is you are always on standby if you are Vice President of the United States.”
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New York Times reporter Michael Schmidt made the claim in his forthcoming book, “Donald Trump V. The United States,” writing that Pence was put on alert to assume presidential powers “if Trump had to undergo a procedure that would have required him to be anesthetized.”
On Tuesday, Trump denied a related claim that he had “a series of mini-strokes” that prompted the unscheduled Nov. 16, 2019 visit, which he previously told Fox News was part of his annual physical.
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“It never ends! Now they are trying to say that your favorite President, me, went to Walter Reed Medical Center, having suffered a series of mini-strokes,” Trump wrote on Twitter. “Never happened to THIS candidate — FAKE NEWS. Perhaps they are referring to another candidate from another Party!”
Pence told Baier that he is “always informed of the president’s movements” and that he recalls “nothing out of the ordinary about that moment or that day.
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The vice president also insisted that the “American people can be confident that this president is in remarkable good health, and every single day I see that energy and high relief.”
Pence referred further questions about the matter to White House physician Sean Conley, who asserted earlier Tuesday that the president “remains healthy” and will “remain fit to execute the duties of the Presidency.”
Fox News’ Evie Fordham contributed to this report.
