US President Donald Trump “remains in excellent overall health” after undergoing a preventative MRI, according to his White House physician.
Captain Sean Barbabella released a memo on Monday that said advanced imaging of the 79-year-old president’s heart and abdomen came back “perfectly normal”.
He wrote the president underwent the MRI during a physical in October “because men of his age group benefit from thorough evaluation of cardiovascular and abdominal health”.
The release comes as Democrats, including Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, have been pushing for the results of the scan amid concerns about Trump’s age in his second term.
In his memo, Barbabella wrote that there is no evidence of arterial narrowing impairing blood flow or abnormalities in Trump’s heart or major vessels. The doctor added that overall, Trump’s cardiovascular system “shows excellent health”.
Likewise, the doctor, a US Navy emergency physician who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, said results of Trump’s abdominal imaging show that “everything evaluated is functioning within normal limits with no acute or chronic concerns”.
The doctor called the scan “standard” for an “executive physical” for someone at Trump’s age.
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.
Riding aboard Air Force One on Sunday, Trump told reporters that it was “OK with me” to release the results of the MRI.
When he pressed by a reporter about which body part the MRI examined, Trump said: “I have no idea. It was just an MRI – what part of the body? It wasn’t the brain, because I took a cognitive test and I aced it.”
Trump underwent his annual physical in April. In October, he said that he received an MRI at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center during a visit the White House said was part of the his “routine yearly checkup”.
Trump said at the time that the MRI “was perfect”.
In the memo, Barbabella said the purpose of the MRI is preventative, “to identify issues early, confirm overall health, and ensure he maintains long-term vitality and function”.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt read Barbabella’s memo during a news briefing on Monday.
“I think that’s quite a bit of detail in the effort of transparency,” Leavitt said. “The president promised it last night and we have it delivered today.”
Trump has been seen with swollen ankles and bruising on his right hand and has been spotted dozing off during meetings. In July, the White House said that he had been diagnosed with chronic venous insufficiency, a vein condition that can result in swelling in the legs.
Last week, Trump lashed out at a female New York Times reporter after she co-authored an article on his age and physical stamina, calling her “third rate” and “ugly, both inside and out”.
By BBC News
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