Trump's staff fears he won't survive term as 'Weekend at Bernie's' label spreads: report

As President Donald Trump continues to face questions over the state of his physical and cognitive health, his own staff is reportedly “concerned” that the 80-year-old president “won’t survive” to see the end of his second term, columnist Brian Karem claimed in a report published Friday in Salon.

“Members on both sides of the aisle, and even members of Trump’s staff, are concerned that the president will roll over like a cockroach and start spouting gibberish (if he hasn’t done that already) or that he simply won’t survive his full term, which still has 940 days to go,” Karem wrote.

Questions surrounding Trump’s mortality had also extended beyond the president’s staff, Karem claimed in the report, citing conversations with figures within the Republican Party, including lawmakers.

“Some of us are wondering if it will be sooner than later,” said a “junior member of Congress," speaking on the condition of anonymity regarding the day Trump is “no longer around.”

According to Karem, multiple other sources – “including a few inside Trump’s administration” – have also started referring to the current administration as “Weekend at Bernie’s,” a reference to the 1989 comedy about two employees propping up their dead boss's corpse to convince others he's still alive.

“This administration is dead in the water,” another GOP lawmaker told Karem.

The state of Trump’s health has fueled speculation among critics, many of whom point to what appear to be instances of the president dozing off during cabinet meetings with growing frequency. The president has also been seen with bruising on his hands, swollen ankles and a rash on his neck.

Regarding the state of Trump’s cognitive health, Iranian officials genuinely believed the president was “legitimately mentally ill,” and as such, had recruited the help of “senior psychologists” to help them negotiate with his administration in an effort to end the U.S. war against Iran.