Raw America managing editor Carl Gibson sat down with the outlet’s White House reporter, Brian Karem, for a wide-ranging conversation that touched on nearly every open question hanging over Washington right now. Gibson and Karem covered a number of topics, including:
Sen. Mitch McConnell’s (R-Ky.) ongoing unexplained absence and rumors about his health
Questionable details of McConnell’s “proof of life” photos
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear’s (D) options for filling a potential Senate vacancy
How McConnell has kept getting reelected despite being universally loathed
Karem’s new report on “Havana Syndrome” and the mysterious origins of a suspected sonic weapon
Media consolidation and its effect on investigative reporting
The differences between covering Trump’s first and second administrations
Growing concerns about 80 year-old President Donald Trump’s health
Karem’s history covering four decades of the White House press corps, and how his Playboy press pass literally saved his life
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Is Mitch McConnell Still Alive?
Gibson began by asking Karem on the rumors swirling around McConnell, who hasn’t voted since being hospitalized on June 14 and who has now missed 29 votes in the Senate. Karem framed the secrecy as consistent with McConnell’s decades-long approach to public life, going back to the senator’s origins as a Reagan-era moderate-who later transitioned into the biggest power broker in Kentucky politics.
“This is all Mitch drama, fresh Mitch drama,” Karem said, adding that McConnell has “always been about the drama” dating back to his first election to the U.S. Senate in 1984.
Karem said he’s heard every version of events — that McConnell has aphasia (a speaking disorder), that he’s in a coma, that he’s dead and his staff are waiting until the window passes for a special election — and emphasized that he can’t confirm any of it given how tight-lipped McConnell’s staff has been. But he zeroed in on the silence from the senator’s office as the most telling detail.
“The fact that there are people who work for him who don’t know what’s going on, and I mean, I’ve known these people for years. [They] don’t know what’s going on. What does that tell you?” Karem said.
Karem went on to say the senator’s team may be trying to run out the calendar until August 3, specifically to avoid triggering a special election.
“It’ll come out when Mitch and Mitch’s people want to, even if he’s dead,” Karem said.
Karem Deconstructs McConnell’s Proof-of-Life Photo
Gibson brought up a photo released over the weekend showing McConnell in the same red shirt as an earlier image, this time posed with someone other than his wife, Elaine Chao. Karem said the image raised more questions than it answered, pointing to mismatched room numbers, a visible patient chart, and an IV bag positioned oddly far from the bed.
“That’s a starched clean shirt there, brother — it just come out of the laundry,” Karem said, questioning when and where the photo was actually taken. He said he’s been told McConnell is in a private rehab facility rather than a hospital, but that verifying even that much has proven difficult.
Karem framed the entire situation as part of a broader pattern of stonewalling. “If you’re around, I’ve interviewed you for 40 some odd years — just show up and take a couple of questions,” he said, addressing McConnell directly. “We really care.”
Karem Calls on Governor Andy Beshear to Get Busy Finding McConnell’s Replacement
Gibson noted that two-term Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear (D) has said he’s been told by unnamed sources that McConnell may have died, and asked Karem whether the term-limited governor may act preemptively despite Kentucky’s Republican supermajority legislature seeking to limit his powers.
Karem said the laws GOP lawmakers in the Kentucky statehouse have passed regarding Beshear’s appointment powers likely wouldn’t pass muster in court — which is exactly why Kentucky Republicans want to avoid the fight altogether. Karem, who is a native of Louisville, Kentucky, noted that Republicans are hoping GOP Senate nominee will have the cleanest path possible to replace McConnell in November without having to compete with an incumbent appointed by Beshear.
Raw America’s White House correspondent pointed out that Beshear has lately been flirting with a potential run for the presidency in 2028, and that he could use this moment to his advantage.
“Look, Andy Beshear has made pretense of running for president. All right, well, you know what? Be demonstrative. Show us the leadership now,” Karem said. “Do it, and quit telling.”
How Does McConnell Keep Winning Elections?
One viewer of Gibson and Karem’s conversation pointed out in the live chat that McConnell seems to have no trouble getting reelected every six years despite being consistently one of the least popular senators in the country.
Gibson — who is also a Kentucky native — noted McConnell has a particularly long record of directing federal appropriations back to Kentucky’s 120 counties via so-called “pork barrel” projects. He added that the city of Pikeville on the eastern edge of the commonwealth likely “wouldn’t exist” without federal money McConnell inserted into various spending bills over the years.
Karem said he personally has no issue with pork-barrel spending, but argued it’s buried a much deeper problem with McConnell.
“Mitch McConnell bribed, cajoled, threatened when he had to, paid off when he could, everyone who would ever oppose him,” Karem said. “Where is the integrity in that? We deserve better.”
Karem Breaks Down the U.S. Origins Behind a Weapon Being Used on Americans
Shifting topics, Gibson highlighted Karem’s recent Raw America report on what’s been called “Havana Syndrome.” That’s the term used to describe mysterious health episodes affecting U.S. diplomats and intelligence officers around the world, having first been documented in Havana, Cuba.
Karem traced the technology’s origins back to a passive listening device discovered in an American ambassador’s office in the 1940s, and said the underlying microwave-based technology has been “tuned up” ever since and used by American adversaries like China and Russia.
He said whistleblowers personally described a consistent pattern: “You’re standing in a room, your ears start to ring, your head starts to hurt, and then you walk two or three feet away and it stops.” Karem said the CIA has never acknowledged the phenomenon as real, leaving victims unable to get necessary medical care covered.
Karem connected the story to the broader issue of right-wing billionaires buying up media outlets, noting that media consolidation has led to fewer investigative reporters able to pursue complex, resource-intensive stories like this one.
“The only real journalism is investigative journalism. And the backbone of all journalism is local journalism,” Karem said, describing how national stories like Havana Syndrome typically start with local reporters noticing patterns.
The Biggest Difference Between Trump 1.0 and 2.0? Trump Is More ‘Muddled’ and ‘Dangerous’
When asked to how Trump’s two administrations compare since Karem has covered both of them, the Raw America White House correspondent said the biggest change has been the president’s declining physical and mental sharpness, as well as his accessibility.
Karem observed that in Trump’s first term, the president seemed to take joy in “the fight” of sparring with reporters in regular Q&A sessions. But in his second term, Karem noted that Trump is noticeably more “muddled” and “befuddled,” in addition to being what Karem estimated to be around 30 pounds heavier.
“He’s often not making sense, and he doesn’t engage with the press like he used to,” Karem said, adding that access is now mostly restricted to right-wing media and the press pool of roughly 15 handpicked reporters.
Karem opined that Trump’s nationally televised address last Thursday night marked a uniquely low point for the presidency itself, calling it “the worst speech by far of any president I’ve ever covered” since the Reagan administration.
Karem Reveals What His Pentagon Sources Call Pete Hegseth Behind His Back
While acknowledging that Karem can’t give up his confidential sources, Gibson asked the veteran White House reporter about rumors surrounding various people in Trump’s inner circle. Karem confirmed that White House chief of staff Susie Wiles and deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller are the only ones with “walk-in” privileges to the Oval Office, and suggested that those two were more responsible than anyone else for “controlling” the president.
Karem also elaborated on what he’s heard about Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, saying sources inside the Pentagon have various unflattering nicknames for the part-time weekend Fox News host-turned-secretary of the newly christened “Department of War.”
“They call him Major,” Karem said of Hegseth, explaining the nickname is meant as an insult likening the defense secretary to an annoying middle management executive with no practical experience.
“And then when they really want to be insulting, they call him ‘little major,’” Karem added.
Karem argued that the insecurity that seems to consume people inside the president’s inner circle makes them even more “dangerous” despite their incompetence and lack of experience.
“They are extremely nervous individuals, extremely insecure individuals and extremely inept in what they do,” Karem said.
Karem Compares Press Coverage of Trump to Biden
Gibson asked directly about the increasingly frequent reports about Trump’s declining health issues, noting that he’s been officially diagnosed with chronic venous insufficiency (which can cause swelling in the ankles). He also asked Karem about Trump’s apparent heavy use of makeup to cover unsightly bruises on his hands, and his pattern of more frequent cognitive testing.
Karem reminded viewers that the press has seemed to paper over Trump’s obvious decline, and contrasted that with the zealous coverage of former President Joe Biden’s cognitive health.
“Having to take cognitive tests every four months, there’s a reason for that,” Karem said. “We haven’t reported Donald’s. Why is that? Is it because Donald controls the media, or that we’re exasperated and numb to all of it?”
Karem made it clear he isn’t a doctor and can’t officially diagnose the president, but spoke plainly about what he’s personally seen in the West Wing.
“Donald Trump is demonstrably nuts,” Karem said said, adding that reporters covering the White House regularly share their own speculation about the president’s health off the record, even when they can’t put their names to it.
How Karem’s Playboy Press Pass Saved His Life
Toward the end of the interview, Gibson asked about an anecdote Karem previously shared: how his old Playboy press credential from his years as the magazine’s chief White House correspondent helped save him twice, once in a war zone and once during the January 6 siege of the U.S. Capitol.
“That Playboy press pass got me into a few places I probably still can’t discuss,” Karem said, recalling how a Capitol rioter’s fascination with the credential defused a potentially violent attack at the hands of several insurrectionists. “He goes, ‘Ah, Playboy, can you get me into the mansion?’ I said, ‘Sure, anytime you want, pal.’”
Karem also reflected on Playboy’s frequently overlooked journalistic legacy, noting it published early coverage of the Civil Rights Movement and ran lengthy articles on influential figures like Roots author Alex Haley and legendary civil rights icon Malcolm X.
“I was there simply for the literary effort,” he joked.
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