Donald Trump received a “preventative” MRI of his heart and abdomen that showed “normal” organ functions, the White House said amid mounting questions about the 79-year-old president’s health.
“This level of detailed assessment is standard for an executive physical at President Trump’s age and confirms that he remains in excellent overall health,” White House physician Sean Barbabella wrote in a letter released Monday.
The White House had previously declined to explain why Trump had an MRI during a physical exam in October or say what part of his body was scanned. Trump said Sunday that he would release the imaging results following repeated questions from reporters.
Trump’s cardiovascular imaging was “perfectly normal” and showed “no evidence of arterial narrowing impairing blood flow or abnormalities in the heart or major vessels,” Barbabella wrote. The heart chambers are also “normal in size” and “vessel walls appear smooth and healthy” with “no signs of inflammation or clotting,” according to the letter.
Abdominal scans also showed “all major organs appear very healthy and well-perfused” and “everything evaluated is functioning within normal limits with no acute or chronic concerns,” the letter said.
It’s unusual for most people to undergo MRIs during routine physical exams, even the elderly and those in high-stress jobs. The screening isn’t covered by Medicare, the US insurance program for those over age 65, unless it’s medically necessary and conducted to help guide treatment for a specific health condition.
A cottage industry has sprung up advertising cash-pay options for full-body screening, offered at less than $1,000. Most medical organizations recommend against them, however, because of the risk of false-positive results, lack of benefit, cost and potential complications. While some companies do provide extensive annual exams for their top executives, they include various types of screening and typically go well beyond MRIs.
The decision to conduct an MRI on Trump, and the relative lack of public information about it, created pressure on the White House to share more details. Still, questions remained, including why the results were limited to the heart and abdomen, when a CT scan is often better for detecting cardiac risks, and didn’t include the brain, where an MRI is often used to spot early signs of a stroke.
Trump has been spotted with swollen ankles and a persistent bruise on his right hand, which at times appears to have been covered with makeup. The White House said in July that Trump had been diagnosed with chronic venous insufficiency, a condition tied to swelling in the legs, but that physicians had otherwise found the president to be in “excellent health.”
Trump had told reporters aboard Air Force One that he had “no idea” what body part got the scan.
“It was just an MRI,” the president said. “It wasn’t the brain because I took a cognitive test and I aced it.”
Trump in recent months has also been sitting more frequently during Oval Office events and has occasionally appeared to briefly doze off when other officials or guests are speaking. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt used the top of her press briefing on Monday to outline Trump’s “very busy week ahead” and note that reporters would “be seeing and hearing from the president every day this week.”
Trump in January became the oldest president ever sworn into office. Throughout his time in public life, Trump and a series of doctors have often praised his health in extraordinary terms, while neglecting to provide certain granular details about his physical exams.
During the 2024 campaign, Trump hammered then-President Joe Biden, the oldest man to serve as commander-in-chief, saying he lacked the stamina and mental capacity to do the job. Biden ultimately dropped out of the race due to concerns about his mental acuity that escalated after a shaky debate performance.
(Reporting by Skylar Woodhouse. With assistance from Michelle Fay Cortez.)
Disclaimer: This report is auto generated from the Bloomberg news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.
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