Did Newsweek report that Dr. Mehmet Oz, administrator of the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, gives President Donald Trump the "cough test" every day? No, that's not true: The quoted passage does not appear anywhere in the article reviewed by Lead Stories, and no credible evidence shows that Oz made such a statement. The alleged quote is fabricated.
The claim appeared in a post and image (archived here) by comedian and writer Jeremy Kaplowitz (@jeremysmiles) on X on June 2, 2026. It read:
what is going on
This is what the post looked like on X at the time of writing:
(Image source: post by @jeremysmiles on X.)
The text of the alleged screenshot from the Newsweek article reads:
'He likes to do the thing where I hold his scrotum and tell him to cough,' Oz explained. 'He is always asking if he can do the cough test, so we do it once or twice per day. He says I have very warm hands. I think it makes him feel safe, but I think it also makes him feel strong. I tell him he is very good at being the president. People always do the whole oh I was just following orders thing, but I love my job and it's an honor to serve.'
The actual Newsweek article (archived here) cited in Kaplowitz's social media post does not say that. Lead Stories reviewed the article and did not find the terms "cough test," "scrotum," or anything else from the quoted passage anywhere in the text.
Asked by reporters about President Trump's regular checkups at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, Oz said in the article:
'I think he likes the results,' Oz responded. 'He aces the test every single day, and I do actually believe that he is curious to make sure everything is going in the right direction.'
Oz also described the frequent exams as a reflection of Trump's 'very meticulous' approach, saying he 'wants to know all the numbers' and stay on top of them.
Lead Stories also searched Google News (archived here) and Yahoo! News (archived here) and did not find any matching reports for "Oz, cough test, and scrotum." Had Dr. Oz actually said he gives the president the "cough test" every day, it would have been widely reported.
