President Donald Trump gave some rare praise to the press Friday night, though he pointed out that recent speculation he was in poor health, or even dead, was way off the mark.

Trump hosted a dinner at a renovated Rose Garden for congressional leaders, taking on a largely amicable tone throughout the night. He even ceded that the press had actually been “very good lately, except for one rumor that they spread.”

Recommended Stories

• Trump confirms his Miami golf resort will host G20 leaders after G7 flap
• Trump threatens Europe over 'unfair penalties' charged to US companies
• Biden's team wanted him to sign pardons by hand, not autopen

“I did about eight press conferences … day after day after day. Then I missed one because I was in the Oval Office, and I also went out to the club because I had meetings at a club, and they saw that I was, and the rumor started, this horrible rumor that Trump is no longer with us,” he said.

“They said … I got to the club, ‘Sir, are you okay? Are you okay?’ The fake news was at it again, but because I missed one day of press conferences, so today I gave them about a three-hour press conference on changing the name of the Department of Defense to the Department of War because we won World War I, World War II, everything in between, and everything in front of it,” Trump added.

His train of thought was first prompted by his praise of Rep. Ronny Jackson (R-TX), whom he called an “unbelievable doctor.” He relayed a story about Jackson being asked if former Presidents Barack Obama, George W. Bush, or Trump were healthier.

“He said, ‘There’s not even a contest by far. The healthiest is President Donald J. Trump.’ I said, I love that guy. I’m sure that Bush and Obama don’t feel the same way, but who the hell cares?” Trump said.

The president was the subject of wild speculation last week after he declined to do a press conference for several days. Commentators on social media speculated that he had died. Fox News reporter Peter Doocy brought up the death hoax at a Tuesday press conference, much to Trump’s bemusement.

TRUMP BURIES VIRAL RUMOR HE DIED OVER THE WEEKEND AND KNOCKS BIDEN’S WORK ETHIC

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt announced Trump was diagnosed with chronic venous insufficiency, a common condition of the blood vessels that is rarely life-threatening. Subsequent pictures showing makeup on Trump’s hand covering up bruising led to conspiracy theories that he was trying to cover up a terminal condition.

Trump has routinely boasted of his good health since taking office, contrasting himself with Biden.