In early June 2026, a screenshot spread on X that appeared to show a Newsweek article containing a quote from Dr. Mehmet Oz, administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, about U.S. President Donald Trump's physical exams.
Here's the full alleged quote:
"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."
Some social media users seemed to interpret the claim as true and some questioned its legitimacy.
We determined this screenshot is fake and originated as satire, as confirmed by its creator, New York-based comedian and writer Jeremy Kaplowitz. Kaplowitz posted the screenshot on multiple social media accounts; it received the most traffic on X.
"It is indeed satire," Kaplowitz wrote in an email to Snopes, "but in my heart, I know it is also real."
On Instagram and Facebook, Kaplowitz posted screenshots of his original satirical X post with the caption, "We like to spread a little misinformation."
Kaplowitz told Snopes he made the post with the Google Chrome browser tool "inspect element," which allows users to change the text on a webpage.
The original June 2 Newsweek article (archived), which Kaplowitz reposted with his satirical screenshot, was titled "Dr. Oz Says Trump Goes for Frequent Checkups Because He 'Likes the Results'." The actual story has no mention of the president's scrotum or a "cough test."
The Newsweek article was referencing a real statement from Oz during a White House news briefing, available in full on the Associated Press YouTube page.
At the 30:39 mark in the video, Oz responds to a reporter asking about why the president keeps "coming back in for checkups" if he's in "perfect health," as claimed by his administration:
I think he likes the results. He does really well. He aces the test every single day. And I do actually believe that he's curious to make sure everything is going in the right direction. He's a very meticulous person in so many ways that are often underappreciated; for him to want to know all the numbers and keep on top of them — it's the same reason he calls people at, you know, odd hours — because something's on his mind, he wants to deal with it.
Snopes has debunked similar pieces of media before. For example, in January, we alerted readers to a satirical story about an oil executive complaining about Trump's farts.
Because the effectiveness of satire is subjective, we use "originated as satire" or "labeled satire" ratings based on creators' description of their work. It's your call on whether you agree.