Trump's MRI scan raises specter of secrecy in presidential health

Source: The Hill

11/02/25 6:00 AM ET


President Trump’s off-the-cuff disclosure that he underwent an MRI scan is raising fresh questions about the secrecy surrounding Trump’s health and the need for presidents to be more transparent. Trump is the oldest person to be elected president, and his aides and allies have long projected him as the picture of strength and vitality.

Outside physicians initially raised questions after Trump visited Walter Reed Military Medical Center earlier this month for what the White House described as a routine follow-up visit, though it was his second visit in six months. A note from his physician pronounced Trump in “excellent overall health.” Later, Trump disclosed that he underwent an MRI and a cognitive test during the secondary physical. “I got an MRI, it was perfect,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One. The president did not detail the reason for the MRI, and press secretary Karoline Leavitt later didn’t offer any additional details.

Jeffrey Kuhlman, who served as a White House physician to three presidents and wrote a book about his experience called “Transforming Presidential Healthcare,” said he wasn’t surprised a 79-year-old man needed a second checkup and that it’s typical for presidents to go to Walter Reed for advanced imaging. “Most any procedure scope, I had the capabilities there at the White House. The only thing I couldn’t, that I’d have to Walter Reed for, is advanced imaging,” Kuhlman said.

But Kuhlman questioned the timeline of the treatment that was released by Trump’s physician Sean Barbabella. Aside from the MRI, other testing and preventive health screening could have been done in the White House doctor’s office in less than 15 minutes. “It’s about an eight-minute helicopter ride from the South Lawn to Walter Reed. So we know that he at least had four hours available to undergo medical care,” Kuhlman said. “There’s a disconnect there.”

Read more: https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/5584101-trump-mri-raises-questions/