‘Clots and prayers’: Rick Wilson says Trump’s ‘manly image’ is a cover for something dire

Rick Wilson, political strategist and co-founder of the Lincoln Project, suggested Friday that President Donald Trump’s “tough guy” persona, one fed into by many of his most loyal supporters, is in many ways a cover for something far more dire.

“This idea that a lot of folks have in their head, that Donald Trump is ill, appears to be correct,” Wilson said, speaking on an episode of the Lincoln Project’s “Elephant in the Room” podcast in an episode titled “Sending Clots and Prayers.”

“I’m not going to pretend that I'm a doctor and can make a diagnosis of Trump, but I can make a diagnosis about why they're doing the way they're doing it.”

Wilson went on to recount the “obvious signs of Trump’s mental and physical decline,” including his bruised and discolored hands, his swollen ankles linked to vascular issues, and the increased instances of rambling during speeches.

“These aren't negotiable, these aren't debatable, these aren't hypothetical, they're real,” Wilson said.

“You've seen the giant cankles that Trump is rocking from the edema that's in his body. You've seen his inability to stay on task or on target while he's speaking. You've seen the bruising on his hands from whatever treatment they're giving him.”

Trump has fiercely denied claims that he is in poor health, proclaiming himself a “very stable genius,” and bragging about getting “every answer right” on an April cognitive test. He’s also said that physically, he was “in very good shape” with a “good heart” and a “good soul.”

Were Trump’s health to be worse than he claims, Wilson proposed, his “manly man” persona could be tarnished, and it’s for that reason, Wilson argued, that Trump’s administration feels so compelled to hide details as to Trump’s physical and mental health.

“Why is it that they're hiding this? The first is, Trump always commits to the bit, he always commits to the image-making flim flam of Trump,” Wilson said.

“A larger number of men bought into the 'Trump's the most virile manly man to ever be in the White House' – yea, Teddy Roosevelt would like to have a talk mother f------.”

Watch the video below or use this link.