WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump on Monday confirmed that he underwent a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) test during a recent visit to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center but declined to reveal the reason for it.
The 79-year-old president described the results as “perfect,” while the White House maintained that the visit was part of his “ongoing health maintenance plan,” offering no further clarification.
“I did. I got an MRI. It was perfect,” Trump told reporters, responding to a reporter who asked what was being tested by saying that the journalist can “ask the doctors.” “The doctors said some of the best, for the age, some of the best reports they’ve ever seen,” he added. A summary of Trump’s Oct. 10 visit said the president received “advanced imaging” during his time at Walter Reed, which it described as “part of his ongoing health maintenance plan.”
Mr. Trump also reiterated that he was interested in serving a third term, saying that he “would love to do it” because of his popularity with his supporters.
Mr. Trump, who spoke to journalists for about 30 minutes on a flight to Tokyo from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, during his almost weeklong trip to Asia, seemed intent on presenting himself as fit to lead, if not run for the presidency again.
It did not disclose what kind of imaging was done, however, and the White House has not elaborated. “Comprehensive laboratory studies performed in conjunction with the visit were exceptional, including stable metabolic, hematologic, and cardiac parameters,” Sean Barbarbella, Trump’s physician wrote in the summary of the president’s hospital visit released by the White House, reports Turkish news agency Anadolu.
The visit came just six months after his annual physical exam in April. It came after reporters noticed bruising on the back of Trump’s hand that the president repeatedly tried to conceal with makeup, fueling speculation about the president’s health. Swelling in his legs, also noticed by reporters, was attributed to chronic venous insufficiency, which occurs when the valves in leg veins cannot adequately pump blood back to the heart.
The White House has not said why Trump underwent a second hospital visit this year. It is highly unusual for a president to receive more than one physical per year, but Trump is one of the oldest to hold the office.
