{"id":260,"date":"2026-06-23T23:06:22","date_gmt":"2026-06-23T23:06:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/homemovechronicle.com\/?p=260"},"modified":"2026-06-23T23:06:22","modified_gmt":"2026-06-23T23:06:22","slug":"patient-zero","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/homemovechronicle.com\/?p=260","title":{"rendered":"Patient Zero?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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This story is adapted from Slate\u2019s new and revamped Slatest newsletter. You can\u00a0sign up here\u00a0to get it in your inbox every day.<\/p>\n

Read more Neil Gorsuch Just Took a Wrecking Ball to a Major Religious Liberty Law<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

The presidency comes with certain perks: a taxpayer-funded plane, a lifetime pension, and a White House staff to service the commander in chief\u2019s every need. But for Donald Trump, another benefit may be early access to what could be the world\u2019s most effective weight loss medication. Today we\u2019re breaking down the story that has everyone speculating.<\/p>\n

Back up. What in the world are you talking about?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

The medical news site STAT reported this morning that the Food and Drug Administration and the drugmaker Eli Lilly recently granted a 79-year-old man access to an experimental anti-obesity drug called retatrutide. (If you can pronounce that, you win a prize.) The anonymous man applied for retatrutide in April through the FDA\u2019s \u201ccompassionate use\u201d program, which lets seriously ill patients access treatments that are still in development. A top National Institutes of Health clinician made the request, which suggests the patient is politically well connected.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

A politically connected man who was 79 in April? That \u2026 sounds a lot like the president.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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It does! Trump, who just turned 80, fits the profile. He\u2019s also obsessed with weight loss drugs\u2014he regularly mentions knowing someone on \u201cthe fat shot\u201d\u2014and is sensitive about his own weight. The White House has denied that he\u2019s the patient in question, and it could certainly be someone else: say, a member of Congress or a top official\u2019s family member. Then again, the White House has also labeled Trump\u2019s health \u201csuperhuman,\u201d so take those denials for what they\u2019re worth.<\/p>\n

But why would Trump\u2014or whoever this is\u2014need retatrutide if other weight loss drugs are available?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Good question. Retatrutide is, according to Lilly\u2019s data, just better. In a clinical trial, it helped obese patients shed much more of their body weight (28 percent, on average) than drugs currently on the market. Lilly also makes a similar drug called Zepbound, but it doesn\u2019t work for everybody. According to STAT\u2019s reporting, the mystery patient in question took Zepbound for a year without much success.<\/p>\n

If it is Trump, what does this say about his health?<\/strong><\/p>\n

You aren\u2019t wrong to wonder. Presidents have long tried to hide details about their health, and Trump is no exception. He keeps going to the doctor, has bruises on both hands, and brags about passing dementia tests. The mystery patient reportedly needs retatrutide to treat obesity, sleep apnea, and pulmonary hypertension\u2014a potentially life-threatening condition Trump hasn\u2019t admitted to having. So maybe he\u2019s sicker than we know. Or maybe Trump, a habitual liar who claims he isn\u2019t taking weight loss drugs, just demanded the latest and greatest whether he needs it or not. Drugmakers can reject compassionate use requests. But a company that wants special treatment from a president as transactional as ours might have nonmedical reasons to say yes.<\/p>\n

Read more Clarence Thomas Just Gave Border Agents a Terrifying New Power<\/a><\/p>\n

OK, thanks for the breakdown. But this story is salacious, and I can\u2019t get enough. Got anything else for me?<\/strong><\/p>\n

You bet! My Slate colleague Luke Winkie went long on it, and you can read his piece here.<\/p>\n

You\u2019re through the news. Here are some great reads, listens, and watches for your evening.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Endless Summer is ending: <\/strong>Speaking of Luke, he went to what will almost certainly be one of the final concerts of the Beach Boys\u2014or at least what\u2019s left of them. Luke\u2019s piece tells the story of Mike Love, 85, the last remaining member of one of the 20th century\u2019s consummate pop acts, while also reflecting on nostalgia, bitterness, legacy, and mortality. I\u2019ll remember it for a long time.<\/p>\n

A brush with a serial killer: <\/strong>In 2021, Laura Creedle got a frightening phone call. Her brother was in the hospital after a purported psychotic break. Even worse, the hospital was preparing to release him to his fianc\u00e9e. Except: Her brother didn\u2019t have a fianc\u00e9e. What he had instead was a close encounter with a woman who, years later, would be linked to several murders. The full (and harrowing) story is worth a read. <\/p>\n

A great interview for your evening dog walk: <\/strong>Anna Konkle had a difficult childhood, one that she\u2019s still untangling. She has channeled that into art, writing the evocative and hilarious tween comedy PEN15<\/em>. She sat down with Death, Sex & Money host Anna Sale to discuss her life and her work.<\/p>\n

How about that soccer tournament you won\u2019t stop talking about? Is that still on? <\/strong>I\u2019m thrilled you\u2019re as excited about the World Cup as we are. Portugal thumped Uzbekistan today (highlights here), while the day\u2019s marquee matchup between England and Ghana started at 4\u00a0Eastern. This evening we\u2019ll also have Panama\u2013Croatia at 7 and Congo\u2013Colombia at 10.<\/p>\n

Read more Did Donald Trump Use His Office to Get a Powerful New Weight Loss Drug?<\/a><\/p>\n

That\u2019s it for us. Thanks for reading, and have a great night.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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