President Donald Trump revealed Monday that he had undergone an MRI scan during a recent checkup at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center—but the White House has not explained what prompted the exam. The announcement, paired with Trump’s own description of the MRI as “perfect,” has raised eyebrows among medical experts and fueled questions about the president’s health.
“It’s not part of a routine screening examination,” said Dr. Jonathan Reiner, a CNN medical analyst certified in interventional cardiology and internal medicine, speaking on the network Monday.
Reiner didn’t hold back about the White House’s handling of the disclosure. “There’s been really a lack of candor coming from the White House about this,” he said. “When they announced that the president would visit Walter Reed at the beginning of this month, they initially said it was for his annual checkup, but when they were reminded that that’s not due until April, they said ‘okay, it’s for a routine semi-annual checkup.’”
Trump revealed the surprise medical visit while aboard Air Force One en route to Japan. At 79, he is the second-oldest president in U.S. history, behind only President Joe Biden, and recent photos showing bruising on his hands and swelling in his ankles have intensified scrutiny of his health.
The MRI took place on Oct. 10 and marked Trump’s second exam since taking office in January. Despite the White House framing the visit as routine, Reiner emphasized that an MRI is far from ordinary. He also noted that Trump’s refusal to explain the reason for the scan erodes public trust.
“The big question is what prompted his MRI?” Reiner said. “What symptoms were they concerned about, what particular type of MRI was performed? Was it a brain MRI, was it a cardiac MRI, was it an MRI of the spine, of his prostate… what prompted the concern that would take him in a relatively unscheduled way to Walter Reed for this testing?”
“Why won’t they tell us exactly what was tested, why the testing was performed, and the results? I think without that, there’s really no trust. Just tell the public what’s going on with the president!”
Reiner also pointed out that the White House has its own “prodigious testing capacity,” meaning Trump would have sought Walter Reed’s care only for more advanced imaging like a CT scan or MRI—something that is decidedly not “routine,” contrary to official statements.
Watch the segment below from CNN:
