The Minnesota governor quickly responded to Trump’s derogatory insult by raising questions about the 79-year-old president’s health
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz quickly fired back after President Donald Trump lobbed a derogatory remark his way.
In a late-night Thanksgiving message on his Truth Social platform on Thursday, Nov. 27, Trump sarcastically blasted “citizens” and “patriots” who he claims have been “just plain STUPID” when it comes to immigration.
While specifically highlighting the Somali community in Minnesota, Trump aimed an offensive slur for people with intellectual disabilities at the state’s Democratic leader, writing, “The seriously retarded Governor of Minnesota, Tim Walz, does nothing, either through fear, incompetence, or both.”
Walz, 61, reacted to Trump’s insensitive remark with a shot of his own, posting to X, “Release the MRI results.” Walz’s comment was in reference to the MRI Trump reportedly underwent during an October visit to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.
In a summary of Trump’s last known physical exam, performed on Oct. 10, White House physician Dr. Sean Barbabella revealed that the 79-year-old president underwent lab testing, advanced imaging and “preventive health assessments” as “part of his ongoing health maintenance plan.”
He noted that Trump the exam intended to “ensure optimal cardiovascular health and continued wellness.”
Barbabella did not elaborate on the exact imaging or “preventive assessments” that were performed, though he insisted Trump’s laboratory results were “exceptional” and that his cardiac age is “approximately 14 years younger than his chronological age.” According to the Heart Foundation, cardiac age is a metric that evaluates a person’s cardiovascular health and risk for heart attack in comparison to their chronological age.
Trump seemingly revealed the type of imaging that was performed while speaking to reporters on Air Force One on Oct. 27. “I got an MRI,” he said at the time. “It was perfect.” But the White House has not offered more information about how comprehensive the body scans were, nor clarified why the tests were run out of sync with the president’s annual physical exam in April.
In July, a separate trip to the doctor led Trump to be diagnosed with chronic venous insufficiency, a condition that “causes blood to pool in your leg veins, leading to high pressure in those veins,” according to the Cleveland Clinic.
Along with Walz’s indirect speculation about Trump’s health, he reposted a screenshot of the president’s 11:30 p.m. post, which also included racist comments about Minnesota Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar, who is Somali-American.
Trump’s rant also boldly claimed that the “refugee burden is the leading cause of social dysfunction in America,” erroneously citing “hundreds of thousands of refugees from Somalia” that are “completely taking over” Minnesota.
“Somalian gangs are roving the streets looking for ‘prey’ as our wonderful people stay locked in their apartments and houses hoping against hope that they will be left alone,” Trump wrote.
According to U.S. Census data, about 61,300 Somalis live in Minnesota, which would comprise just 1.1% of the state’s population, Newsweek reports. Some estimates, like that of the Minnesota Compass, suggest there may be closer to 80,000 Somalis in the state, which would still fall far below Trump’s claim of hundreds of thousands.
The White House, Walz and Omar did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s requests for comment.