President Donald Trump’s White House erupted Tuesday over a CNN report examining the political and personal implications of the president’s health and threats against him — trashing the reporter as an “idiot” and attacking the network.

The sweeping report by CNN correspondent Kevin Liptak, published as the 79-year-old president prepared to undergo his annual physical examination less than a month before turning 80, examines the prevailing interest in and scrutiny of Trump’s health.

The administration seized on the article’s headline, “Trump’s advanced age and threats to his life serve as reminders of his own mortality.” In particular, the White House took issue with the reference to assassination attempts against the president.

In a scathing tweet the White House Rapid Response account wrote: “You’re an idiot, @Kevinliptakcnn. The ‘threats to his life serve as reminders’ that Radical Left lunatics – incited by outlets like gutter trash CNN – keep trying to murder him. And @POTUS works harder in one day than you have in your entire life.”

The post included a screengrab of CNN’s headline and Liptak’s byline but omitted details from the article discussing persistent questions over the president’s health following several public incidents that have drawn attention online, including visible bruising on his hand and repeated moments in which critics accused him of appearing drowsy during events.

In the section of the article which deals with “threats” to Trump’s life, Liptak credits the president with showing “remarkable sangfroid” in the face of “repeated” attacks and security incidents.

The writer also notes that the president himself has increasingly referenced his mortality in public appearances following multiple assassination attempts and heightened security incidents around the presidency.

The White House has repeatedly insisted the president remains in excellent health.

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