Topics: Donald Trump, Politics, US News, Health, Social Media
Major drama unfolded at the White House earlier this week, after a man fainted during a televised Oval Office press conference hosted by Donald Trump.
After bringing the political meet-up to an abrupt halt, the incident has since sparked much curiosity about the identity of the man who dropped to the floor a matter of inches from the President.
For those out of the loop, the press briefing was focused on a new deal between the Trump administration and pharmaceutical firms, in a bid to reduce the cost of popular weight-loss medications, specifically Mounjaro and Ozempic.
Dave Ricks, the CEO of Eli Lilly, which manufactures the former, was seen speaking alongside Trump, before a suited man standing behind him suddenly appeared unsteady before falling to the ground.
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Naturally, as shocking moments do, videos of the moment quickly spread online, showing Trump standing at the podium as aides and medical staff rushed to assist the fallen man.
Amongst then was Dr Mehmet Oz, head of the Centres for Medicare & Medicaid Services, who could be seen moving towards him, while reporters were ushered out of the office.
After going viral, a number of onlookers questioned Trump's passive stance as the fiasco unfolded, criticising his apparent lack of urgency.
One Instagram user slammed: "Trump just standing there without a care in the world."
"Trump just stood there and watched a man collapse. He didn’t call for help. He didn’t do anything. That’s not leadership. It’s an abdication of leadership," hit out a second.
While some have identified the man as Novo Nordisk executive Gordon Findlay - who has served as the Basel, Switzerland-based Global Brand Director for the firm since 2023 - the pharmaceutical company said he wasn't present at the press conference.
"Please be aware that CEO Mike Doustdar and EVP, US Operations, Dave Moore were the only two Novo Nordisk representatives in the Oval Office," a statement read.
Trump has since told reporters: "One of the representatives of one of the companies got a little light-headed… he’s fine. They’ve got doctors here."
White House representatives also confirmed that the man received immediate care from the on-site medical unit and was 'doing well'.
