A prominent cardiologist has pressed the White House for answers after President Donald Trump’s recent medical examination and his subsequent weeklong absence from public events. Dr Jonathan Reiner, a professor of medicine at George Washington University and former cardiologist to Dick Cheney, wrote on X that the president’s physician should be made available to answer questions from the press.
Trump, who turns 80 next month, visited Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on 26 May for his third medical check-up in just over a year. He attended a cabinet meeting the following day, but then disappeared from public view for a week, until the White House unexpectedly allowed reporters into an executive order signing that had been previously closed to the press.
The White House has insisted there is no cause for alarm. Trump said on social media that his medical results had “checked out PERFECTLY”, while his physician, Sean Barbabella, wrote that the president “remains in excellent health, demonstrating strong cardiac, pulmonary, neurological and overall physical function”. However, a group of physicians told The Wall Street Journal that key details were missing from the results of tests including a coronary CT angiography, echocardiogram and ultrasound.
Dr William Shutze, a Texas vascular surgeon, said the report should have mentioned more about the carotid ultrasound, including the amount of plaque. The report also made no mention of finasteride, a hair loss drug Trump has taken for years, according to The Washington Post. Three of his previous doctors confirmed he used the drug both before and during his first term. Dr Robert Klitzman, a Columbia University psychiatrist, said this raised significant questions about what else might not be revealed. The report attributed bruising on the president’s hands to “frequent handshaking” and said his lower leg swelling had improved.
Dr Reiner has previously raised concerns about Trump’s apparent drowsiness, saying he falls asleep often, including in the Oval Office. In response to the latest report, he wrote: “An incomplete medical report is not a credible report. They can’t pick and choose which data they’re willing to report. What else is missing?” Multiple polls suggest many Americans have questions about Trump’s fitness for office, with 55 percent in a recent Ipsos poll saying he lacks the physical health to serve and 59 percent questioning his mental acuity.
