White House dismisses questions over Donald Trump's slurring as 'ridiculous'
Amid questions over why he slurred during a speech, the President's spokeswoman says his "throat was dry, nothing more than that".
Thursday 7 December 2017 22:49, UK
The White House has described questions over Donald Trump's health as "ridiculous", after the President began to slur during a major address.
Towards the end of his announcement that the US would recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital, Mr Trump appeared to stumble over several words.
And as he concluded the address, the President noticeably slurred and mispronounced the word "states".
The moment was widely shared online and came after repeated questions about the 71-year-old's weight, mental health and whether he wears dentures.
In a media briefing, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said speculation over the speech was "pretty ridiculous".
"The President's throat was dry, nothing more than that," she said. "He does have a physical scheduled for the first part of next year.
"The full physical that most presidents go through that will take at Walter Reed (National Military Medical Centre) and those records will be released by the doctor following that taking place."
It is the first time the White House has committed to releasing records about Mr Trump's health, something his predecessors did regularly.
During the US presidential campaign, Mr Trump suggested Hillary Clinton was not fit to take office after his opponent appeared to collapse during a 9/11 memorial service.
On the campaign trail in Ohio, he said: "You think Hillary Clinton would be able to stand up here and do this for an hour? I don't know."
A month later, his campaign aired a TV advert which used footage of Mrs Clinton fainting and said the Democrat nominee "doesn't have the fortitude, strength or stamina to lead in our world".