President Trump says he underwent an MRI earlier this month and calls the results “perfect.” The White House will not say why.
The president made the remarks to reporters aboard Air Force One as he left for Asia on a multi-nation trip focused on security and trade. After reporters noticed swelling on his hands and pressed him about his health, he did not explain what part of his body was scanned or what prompted the MRI. He told reporters they would “have to ask the doctors.”
Military.com reached out to the White House Press Office, Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, the White House Medical Unit, the Navy Bureau of Medicine and Surgery, and outside medical experts for comment. No responses were received at press time.
A Pentagon spokesperson told Military.com, “We have nothing to provide.”
Health Questions
The White House previously described Trump’s October 10 visit to Walter Reed as a routine yearly check-up. It came just six months after his last physical in April. The White House physician said the president remains in “exceptional health” and that the exam included advanced imaging and tests.
But the White House has never said why those tests were needed, and it is unusual for a president to receive two full medical evaluations in such a short span. MRI scans are not normally part of a standard annual physical. They are usually ordered to look more closely at a specific medical concern.
Earlier this year, the White House acknowledged that Trump experiences swelling in his lower legs—which may be caused by a condition called Chronic Venous Insufficiency, in which veins in one’s legs don’t properly return blood to the heart. Officials also attributed bruising on his hands to aspirin use and frequent handshakes.
Public health experts say transparency matters because the president’s medical condition has national security implications. That includes the ability to carry out duties while traveling abroad and communicating with foreign leaders. But without details from the White House or its physicians, questions remain about why the MRI was ordered and what it was meant to evaluate.
For now, the president says everything is fine.
“I got an MRI,” Trump said. “It was perfect.”
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