Trump Reportedly Made Get-Well Call to Leading Foe Jerry Nadler While He Was in Hospital, Praised Him for Being ‘Tough’
In an uncharacteristic display of cross-partisan empathy, President Donald Trump called to check in on Rep. Jerry Nadler when he was hospitalized briefly last May.
On May 24, Nadler was at an event at a school in Manhattan’s Upper West Side when he appeared to grow faint and seemed like he might pass out. Mayor Bill de Blasio offered him water, but the 71-year-old remained in a daze. Nadler was transferred to Lenox Hill hospital, where he spent the night, according to Yahoo News.
Trump called the congressman while on Air Force One en route to Japan, said an anonymous member of Nadler’s staff. Trump told Nadler that he thought he was “tough.” He wished the congressman well and asked if there was anything else he could do. The two did not discuss anything political, according to the inside source.
Nadler’s staff reported that Nadler had been dehydrated, a condition exacerbated by the crowded gymnasium which had been holding the event.
Just recently revealed is the news that Trump made a get-well call to Nadler after hearing of his hospitalization.
The two politicians have been butting heads since far before the Mueller investigation, originally in the 1980s when Trump wanted to build a major real estate development on Manhattan’s West Side, right in the middle of Nadler’s district. Nadler and some of his constituents opposed the development. A scaled-down version of the plan prevailed:
Congressman Jerry Nadler fought me for years on a very large development I built on the West Side of Manhattan. He wanted a Rail Yard built underneath the development or even better, to stop the job. He didn’t get either & the development became VERY successful. Nevertheless,….
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 9, 2019
….I got along very well with Jerry during the zoning and building process. Then I changed course (slightly), became President, and now I am dealing with Congressman Nadler again. Some things never end, but hopefully it will all go well for everyone. Only time will tell!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 9, 2019
Nadler, chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, has subpoenaed information from a number of Trump associates. He could also be a key player if House Democrats decide to pursue impeachment against the president. According to a Washington Post report, Trump tore Nadler apart in a meeting of Republican lawmakers at the White House last week. He referred to the congressman as “Fat Jerry” in reference to a stomach reduction surgery he had in 2002.
[Photo by Stephanie Keith/Getty Images]
