Was Trump's Walter Reed video message edited?

Editors questioning whether it is just a stifled hiccup or a sign of alteration

After watching president Donald Trump’s message from Walter Reed Medical Centre on Saturday night, several film editors noticed an odd glitch.

After saying the word “therapeutics” at the 1:04 mark in the video the president appears to hiccup, but some Twitter users claim it is an exit cut in the footage.

Those familiar with editing software say that it was reworked with Adobe Premiere using the “morph cut feature”, which smooths out cuts in footage, often used in “talking head” interviews to omit unwanted pauses or stutters.

Twitter users claim that the “amateurish” editing hides a cough.

Television and film editor Tom Costantino asked: “Hey editorial friends, think someone didn’t click progressive source and feature match on the fluid morph or is that just a hiccup like my dad used to do?”

Users say that the cut between takes implies that the White House is either downplaying the seriousness of the president’s condition or putting a rosier spin on it by hiding a cough.

Others say that Trump appears breathless, and that the video was filmed before he left the White House and not at Walter Reed Medical Centre — though photos released by the Office of the Press Secretary appear to refute this claim.

One commenter asked why they would even bother to hide a cough as it’s one of the most common symptoms of Covid-19, and the very reason he is hospitalised.

The discussions around the authenticity of the footage emerge after a day of confusion - and some claim obfuscation by the White House. 

Donald Trump’s doctor was forced to  walk back comments about the president’s health, including when he first tested positive for Covid-19 after suggesting he was diagnosed earlier than previously revealed.

Mr Trump’s chief of staff also said his condition was “very concerning”, contradicting the picture painted by Mr Trump’s doctors.