Copyright The Daily Beast
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt still cannot explain why President Donald Trump, 79, had an MRI. The president’s visit to Walter Reed Military Medical Center last month, just six months after his annual physical in April, was the latest in a series of events that have intensified speculation about his health. It was the president himself who revealed last Monday that he had undergone an MRI and a cognitive test. The White House had previously disclosed he had undergone advanced imaging. Leavitt was confronted about the MRI during her press briefing on Tuesday at the White House. “Why did President Trump get an MRI during his recent visit to Walter Reed?” CNN’s Kristen Holmes asked. Leavitt noted the president had said he would inquire with the physicians, and she said she would check back on it. “As the physical itself stated, Kristen, and as you all know because you are all witness to it every single day, the president is in optimal physical health,” Leavitt declared. She described his medical exam as a “follow-up appointment.” However, Holmes did not stop there. She pointed out that an MRI is a specific procedure performed to detect a specific condition and is not typically part of a routine exam. “He has told us to ask the doctors, which we have and have not heard back. Why don’t we have more information on this?” Holmes followed up. “As I said, I’ll check back for you,” Leavitt replied tersely and quickly moved on. The Daily Beast’s inquiries with Trump’s physician Sean Barbabella have gone unreturned. He has also not been made available to answer questions at the White House press briefings despite the administration claiming complete transparency. The president first shared with reporters that he had the MRI on Air Force One on his way to Japan in response to a question from a reporter. “We had an MRI, MRI and the machine, you know, the whole thing, and it was perfect,” Trump said. When asked for more details, the president told reporters they could ask the doctors. After the president’s visit to Walter Reed, the White House released a letter on October 10 from his doctor, which described it as a “follow-up evaluation” as part of his “ongoing health maintenance plan.” The disclosure of the MRI comes as Trump has continued to face questions about regular bruising that has also appeared on his hand since he returned to office, which he sometimes attempts to cover with a glob of makeup. The White House has insisted it is the result of constant handshaking while taking aspirin as part of his routine. After images showing the president’s severely swollen ankles sparked concern in July, the White House also revealed the president had been diagnosed with chronic venous insufficiency, a common condition in older people where the leg veins fail to pump blood to the heart.
