Can’t wait to see what happens when Dr. Marc Siegel asks the president of the United States to “turn his head and cough.” Actually, coughing is part of the issue, according to Mediaite, as questions raised in two phone interviews yesterday about Donald Trump’s voice and cough left the impression he might still be symptomatic. That might have prompted the push for an on-camera exclusive for Tucker Carlson tonight, with an extra added twist:

President Trump is scheduled to make his first on-camera interview appearance on Friday since he announced last week that he tested positive for the novel coronavirus.

The interview will take place on “Tucker Carlson Tonight” at 8 p.m. ET. Dr. Marc Siegel will conduct a medical evaluation and interview during the program.

The public has largely received information about the president’s condition from his daily tweets and updates from his medical team.

Yes, and this has not exactly proven entirely successful in settling concerns about whether they’re being honest and frank about the president’s condition and illness. It doesn’t help that the White House won’t fully answer questions about results of Trump’s tests, both before and after his diagnosis, or when precisely he became symptomatic. A detailed, independent evaluation by doctors not operating under a non-disclosure agreement might restore some public confidence in the status reports on Trump’s condition.

But, er … would a medical evaluation conducted during a Tucker Carlson spot on Fox News Channel be viewed as either detailed or independent? Not likely. Perhaps if Trump got a full exam on a less-friendly platform, such as CNN, for example. Or MSNBC! (Bad idea, actually; instead of “turn your head and cough,” we’d hear “bend over and relax” on MSNBC.)

Anyway, apparently the coughing created more issues than the White House anticipated, according to Colby Hall. But more than that, it still sounded like Trump was being less than transparent about his status:

Since being released from Walter Reed hospital Monday evening, Trump has done two phone interviews, first with Fox Business’ Maria Bartiromo Thursday morning, then with Fox News Sean Hannity Thursday night. Viewers of Trump’s interview with Hannity heard a raspier voice, with the President pausing to cough or clear his throat a few times.

Coughing or clearing one’s throat is not uncommon for anyone, but there is very little public information about President Trump’s health. When pressed repeatedly by Hannity on when he was last tested for the coronavirus, the commander in chief obfuscated and only said that he would probably undergo a test “tomorrow.”

I don’t think that coughing or clearing a throat so soon after a respiratory infection is all that worrisome. It’s normal for that impulse to linger past the infectious and contagious stages a bit, and it’s hardly unusual to have a need to clear one’s throat or hydrate in an interview either. If people had more trust in the White House, few would think twice about these issues. That’s the real problem here, and it’s not the Tucker Carlson audience that should worry the White House about it.

Update: This seems pretty odd:

.@FoxNews is told @realDonaldTrump will likely not have campaign events this weekend, but is planning to be back on the trail on Monday.

— John Roberts (@johnrobertsFox) October 9, 2020

Trump has been insisting that Saturday would be the last day necessary for isolation, and that he could go back on the trail that evening. What changed? Will this cause Trump’s “medical evaluation” to be postponed as well?