The White House has released details of President Donald Trump's recent MRI amid… elevated study on the 79-year-old leader's health, saying the scan was “preventative” and the results were “completely normal.”
Trump's White House physician, Dr. Sean Barbabella, said in a memo Monday that the MRI was done because men in the “president's age group benefit from a thorough examination of cardiovascular and abdominal health.”
“The purpose of this imaging is preventative: to identify problems early, confirm overall health, and ensure long-term preservation of vitality and function,” Barbabella said. He went on to say that the results of both Trump's cardiovascular and abdominal scans were “completely normal.”
“There is no evidence of narrowing of the arteries impairing blood flow or abnormalities in the heart or major vessels. The heart chambers are normal size, the vessel walls appear smooth and healthy, and there are no signs of inflammation or clotting. Overall, his cardiovascular system appears to be in excellent health,” Barbabella said. “All major organs appear to be very healthy and well-perfused. All that are assessed are functioning within normal limits, with no acute or chronic problems.”
Trump said In October, reporters aboard Air Force One said he underwent an MRI while visiting the military hospital Walter Reed Medical Center for an annual checkup, but did not share additional information about what part of his body was scanned or why the test was done. Both times are “annual” visit— which came just six months after the president's last known physical in April — and news of the MRI raised long-running questions about Trump's health.
The president and other members of his administration say he is in excellent health. But he ran into editing speculation on this topic for several months. Despite numerous calls from voters and politicians to release his medical records during the campaign, Trump has repeatedly refused to do so, a decision that has sparked renewed disputes during his 2024 run last year.
Earlier this year, questions arose about visible swelling on the president's ankles and bruises on his arms. Over the summer, the White House announced that Trump had been diagnosed with the disease. chronic venous insufficiencya non-life-threatening condition that occurs when the veins in the legs cannot supply blood to the heart. If left untreated, it could lead to serious complications, but Barbabella said at the time that the president had no signs of problems such as deep vein thrombosis or arterial disease.
Trump and the White House did not share additional information about the president's MRI for weeks after he first told the press about it. On Sunday, Trump told Air Force One reporters he would release the scan results “if you want them to be made public,” although he again did not specify what part of his body was tested.
“It was just an MRI,” he said. “Which body part? It wasn't the brain because I took the cognitive test and passed with flying colors.”
A day later, White House press secretary Caroline Leavitt read Barbabella's memo during a press briefing.
“I think it's quite a lot of detail in the pursuit of transparency,” she said. “The President promised it last night and we delivered on it today.”
