Doctors were on standby at Trump’s Arizona rally, but he said they wouldn’t treat sick attendees: ‘Collateral damage’

Donald Trump addressed supporters at a campaign event held Wednesday at Laughlin/Bullhead International Airport in Bullhead City, Arizona. The 80-year-old president used part of his remarks to discuss the medical staff who accompany him and how they would respond if an attendee needed care.

Trump stated that he completes a mental test with each physical exam and has performed well on them. According to the Irish Star, he told the crowd, “Remember, I’m the only one who took the test, you know I took the aptitude test or whatever the hell they call it, I took it. Every time I do a physical I take a mental test, and I’ve aced it.” Reporting on the tests notes that they screen for mild cognitive impairment or early dementia rather than assessing overall aptitude or intelligence.

He asked whether his doctor was nearby and said, “I travel with more doctors than any…” before the remainder of the sentence became difficult to make out. Trump then turned to the question of what would happen if someone in the audience fell ill.

Doctors traveling with the president would not assist others, Trump said

Trump explained that medical personnel leave sick audience members alone. He said, “If people get sick in the audience, they don’t, they leave them alone. You know what they call then? Collateral damage.” 

He gestured toward a man in the crowd he identified as a friend and remarked that the man appeared unwell. Trump stated, “If that person right over there, a friend of mine, he looks like s— actually, he looks like he’s ready to have a heart attack, if he actually had a heart attack you know what my doctors would do that follow the president, all presidents? They would leave him alone.” The specific individual he indicated was not identified.

Trump continued by walking through a conversation he said would occur in that situation. He recounted, “I’d say, ‘please help him,’ ‘No sir, we can’t leave your side,’ I said ‘but he’s dying of a heart attack,’ ‘Sir, he’s collateral damage.’ Can you believe it? They got like six ambulances and they won’t use one for anybody else.”

A clip of the comments spread on X, where it received more than 1.5 million views. Responses focused on the description of audience members as “collateral damage” and the claim that doctors would not intervene. Trump has made other unscripted rally remarks, including his Ohio joke about Husted. 

One user wrote, “He’s a F–king sociopath.” Another observed, “Once again, trump proves he couldn’t care less about his supporters.” A third posted, “Hear that, magats? You have a heart attack in front of him, you die – and he doesn’t care at all. Collateral damage is all you are. What a guy!”

A separate commenter wrote, “Bragging that his doctor wouldn’t save someone else’s life is not the own he thinks it is. What an a–hole.” One person asked, “Collateral damage like the audience members at the Butler rally who were shot and killed/injured?” Another added, “Jesus, just thought about the wife of the fire fighter who died in Butler. Hope she doesn’t hear this horses—.”