Questions are mounting over President Donald Trump’s recent medical testing after White House officials described his October exam at Walter Reed Military Medical Center as a “preventative MRI” of his heart and abdomen.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters on Monday that Trump, 79, had undergone the imaging last month as part of a routine checkup. However, Dr. Jonathan Reiner, a cardiologist and medical analyst for CNN, called the explanation “laughable” and “not standard practice” for someone of Trump’s age.
“There really is no preventative cardiac MRI,” Reiner said during Monday’s episode of CNN News Central. “This is not a standard test for an 80-year-old man to undergo advanced imaging.”
Reiner, who served as the late Vice President Dick Cheney’s cardiologist for more than 30 years, noted the lack of transparency surrounding the procedures.
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“The White House’s statements have a weird, defensive, evasive tone to them,” he said. “If you look at his first administration, the president, like most presidents, only underwent one comprehensive physical exam each year, so this comes completely off-cycle.”
Trump publicly addressed the MRI on Sunday while aboard Air Force One, describing the results as “perfect” and stating he was willing to release them. He, however, did not specify the type of imaging performed, prompting further scrutiny from medical experts and the public alike.
“Dr. Barbabella, the president’s physician, states that he underwent advanced imaging. Well, what specific advanced imaging did the president have?” Reiner asked. “Was it an MRI, as the president said? Was it a CT? Did he have both? Why not just spell it out?”
The cardiologist also pointed to the president’s chronic venous insufficiency, a condition diagnosed in July that causes leg swelling, as a possible reason for the imaging.
“This obviously was performed in response to some clinical concern, which is fine. Things happen to people as we all get older,” Reiner said. He added that swelling in the legs could indicate broader cardiovascular issues, making the advanced imaging medically significant if that was the intent.
Trump’s appearance at a memorial event for the 9/11 attacks and at a meeting with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim in Kuala Lumpur in October, where he displayed swollen ankles, further raised questions about his cardiovascular health. Reiner noted, “It’s hard to call something chronic when it happens acutely.”
While Reiner expressed skepticism about the White House’s explanation, he cautioned against reading too much into it. “The reasoning behind the president’s lack of candor is probably not so nefarious. It’s just best to have the president’s doctor come out, answer a few questions, and put the whole mystery to bed,” he said.
Featured image via Political Tribune Gallery
