Donald Trump erupted in fury aboard Air Force One after being pressed by two female reporters about a mystery MRI scan he could not explain. The US president admitted he had “no idea” which part of his body was examined during the procedure last month at Walter Reed Military Medical Centre.
When asked directly on Sunday, Trump initially brushed off the question, then turned his anger on NewsNation correspondent Libbey Dean, branding the network “failing, failing NewsNation”. Another female journalist asked which body part was scanned, prompting Trump to insist, “It wasn’t the brain because I took a cognitive test and I aced it.”
The White House has described the visit as a routine annual physical, despite it being his second such exam this year, and has released no details about why the MRI was ordered. Medical experts have expressed disbelief at Trump’s claim that he does not know which part of his body was imaged.
Dr Vin Gupta, a former chief medical officer at Amazon, said: “You know when you get an MRI what part of your body is going into the scanner because you hear it. You have to be in there for 15 to 45 minutes.” The president’s repeated insistence that he aced a dementia screening has done little to quell questions about his health.
Sunday’s confrontation is the latest in a series of clashes between Trump and female journalists, including calling a reporter “stupid” and telling another to “learn how to be a reporter”. The White House has not clarified the purpose of the scan, and Trump’s combative responses have drawn criticism from press freedom advocates.
