US President Donald Trump returns to the White House after a physical examination at Walter Reed National Military Medical Centre. Photo / The Washington Post
United States President Donald Trump is in “excellent health”, according to a note released by the White House, with his personal doctor again pronouncing the 79-year-old President fit for duty.
Sean Barbabella, the physician to the President, described the assessment done at Walter Reed National Military Medical Centre as a “scheduled follow-up evaluation”, even as some outside doctors asked why the President was making his second known visit to Walter Reed in six months and questioned the tone of the report.
Jonathan Reiner, a longtime cardiologist for former Vice-President Dick Cheney, said the White House should be more forthcoming about the results of the latest visit as some of the tests did not appear to be routine.
He and other medical experts argue that the job of determining a President’s fitness is too important to entrust to a handpicked physician.
Trump, the oldest person to be sworn in as US President, has faced some scrutiny after observers and the media noticed his visibly swollen legs and a recurring bruise on his hand earlier this year.
The White House in July said that Trump had chronic venous insufficiency, a mild but chronic illness related to his age – a rare admission of any presidential health issues.
“Are they following up on concerns from when it was noted during the summer that his legs were very swollen, or are they following up on new symptoms?” Reiner said.
Several doctors noted that the latest report said nothing about Trump’s chronic venous insufficiency.
Barbabella, who is also a US Navy captain, said the President underwent advanced imaging, laboratory testing, and preventive health screening by a team of specialists as part of an “ongoing health maintenance plan”.
The report further noted that Trump received an annual flu shot and an updated Covid-19 booster, even as the President and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy jnr have used their platforms to raise new scepticism about vaccine safety.
“He continues to maintain a demanding daily schedule without restriction,” Barbabella said, adding that the President “remains in exceptional health, exhibiting strong cardiovascular, pulmonary, neurological, and physical performance”.
Barbabella added that Trump’s cardiac age was 14 years younger than his 79 years, according to the results of an electrocardiogram.
Reiner and other physicians characterised the White House’s assessment of Trump’s “cardiac age” as an unusual addition to the medical report.
Presidents are not required to undergo medical examinations nor reveal health information to the public, and the amount of information shared in the past has varied.
Past presidents, including Trump, have generally made medical visits to Walter Reed only once a year, unless there is an urgent medical issue, such as when Trump contracted a serious case of Covid-19 in late 2020.
The issue of presidential health became a major focus of last year’s presidential campaign, with President Joe Biden facing mounting questions about whether the 81-year-old was capable of serving another four-year term, and Trump touting his own fitness for the job. Biden later dropped out of the race.
Trump previously visited Walter Reed for a battery of medical examinations in April, in what officials then said was an annual check-up.
Following that visit, Barbabella deemed him “fully fit” to execute the duties of the presidency, praising Trump’s “excellent cognitive and physical health” and invoking his “frequent victories in golf events” as proof of the President’s active lifestyle.
Barbabella’s April memo included a detailed three-page note that contained a breakdown of Trump’s vital statistics, blood test results, medications, previous surgeries, and a summary of assessments from procedures such as a colonoscopy, CT scan, and cardiac testing.
It also said Trump scored 30 out of 30 in the Montreal Cognitive Assessment, which is used to test for dementia or cognitive decline.
“I don’t know what to tell you other than I got every answer right,” Trump said following the April examination.
He has previously bragged about acing the test, suggesting it involved questions about various items including giraffes, televisions and whales.
Experts have noted that there is no whale in the test and that it’s used to assess cognitive function rather than intelligence.
Jeffrey Kuhlman, who served as a White House physician to three presidents and detailed his experiences in a book called Transforming Presidential Healthcare, said that presidents typically visit Walter Reed to receive advanced imaging or undergo medical procedures.
The military hospital also has space to perform procedures in the privacy of a unit dedicated to the president’s care.
The White House Medical Unit on the White House grounds is staffed with clinicians who provide round-the-clock care to the president. The White House can also bring medical experts on campus as needed.
“I could move anything I needed to the White House to provide diagnostics,” said Kuhlman, who served as a physician to former presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama.
“Can’t move an MRI or a CAT scan, but I can move any scope, any person, any medication, and most of that is already pre-positioned there.”
Kuhlman said he had his own questions about the White House’s evaluation of Trump’s cardiac age.
“For a 79-year-old, best practice is to also use advanced imaging, like a CT of coronary arteries to evaluate plaque build-up and extent of atherosclerosis blockage,” Kuhlman said.
“The White House states he went there for advanced imaging. They chose not to release those results.”
Some outside medical experts and bipartisan lawmakers have previously called for independent assessments of a president’s cognitive and physical health.
Biden and his closest aides have faced questions about whether his team covered up his cognitive decline last year – something the former President and his supporters reject.
While in office, Biden had been given a good health report by his doctor. He has since been diagnosed with prostate cancer.
Trump’s medical history has been marked by episodes of secrecy – including the revelation that he had dictated a 2015 letter released by a doctor that said he would “be the healthiest individual ever elected to the presidency”, and that he hid his Covid diagnosis in October 2020 for a week while continuing to campaign, developing a more serious case than the White House acknowledged at the time.
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