Seoul Gazette - White House, Slovakia deny report on Trump's mental state

Politico, citing European diplomats, said that nationalist leader Fico had told counterparts at a summit last week he was worried about the US leader's "psychological state."

It also said Fico, a Trump ally, had used the word "dangerous" to describe how the US president came across when they met in Florida on January 17.

"This is absolutely total fake news from anonymous European diplomats who are trying to be relevant. The meeting at Mar-a-Lago was positive and productive," White House Deputy Press Secretary Anna Kelly said in a statement to AFP.

The Slovak leader, who shares the same nationalist ideology as Trump, denounced the Politico report as "lies."

"I strongly reject the lies of the hateful, pro-Brussels liberal portal Politico," Fico said on X, posting in capitals like Trump often does on social media.

Without directly mentioning Trump's mental state, Fico said that he "did not speak informally with any prime minister or president about my visit to the US" and rejected Politico's report about "how I assessed my meeting" with Trump.

"No one heard anything, no one saw anything, there are no witnesses, but nothing prevented the Politico portal from coming up with lies," he said.

Following their meeting at Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida, Fico said he had "exceptionally important" talks with the US leader.

The physical and mental health of 79-year-old Trump, the oldest person ever to be elected as US president, has become an extremely sensitive issue for the White House.

Republican Trump, who turns 80 in June, has consistently portrayed his Democratic predecessor Joe Biden as decrepit while boasting about his own vitality.

But there has been increasing speculation about Trump's own health, including over frequent bruising on his hands, and footage of him apparently dozing in meetings.

C.Park--SG