President Donald Trump appeared to have little to no understanding of why he underwent an MRI scan during his medical checkup last month, telling reporters aboard Air Force One that he had “no idea” what they analyzed.
Asked by a reporter on Friday why he needed to get the MRI, the president replied that it was part of his physical.
“Getting an MRI is very standard. What, you think I shouldn’t have it? Other people do,” he responded. “The doctor said it was the best result he has ever seen as a doctor. That’s it.”
He continued, “I have the physical every year and the result was outstanding. Is it your brain or your heart? I have no idea what they analyzed, but whatever they analyze, they analyzed it well and they said that I had as good a result as they’ve ever seen.”
The president also took a moment to praise the score he received on the mental acuity test he took as part of his physical, telling reporters, “As you probably heard, I aced it. I got a perfect score. I got the highest score. I got a perfect score. And the only reason I tell you that is it’s one subject unlike Biden and others that you could take off your plate.”
The president had previously described the cognitive assessment he undertook as “very hard,” comparing them to IQ tests and offering to compare his results to those of Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Jasmine Crockett.
When Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt was asked the same question earlier this month, she declined to answer, instead telling reporters that the president would inquire with his physicians and that she would follow up.
Reporters followed up a week later, once again asking Leavitt about the MRI. In response, she repeated the statement provided at the time, telling reporters that the scan was routine and showed that the president was in “exceptional physical health.”
Before reporters could ask any follow-up questions, she ended the briefing, cutting it short at around 25 minutes. She had previously declined to confirm the president had undergone an MRI at all, instead only telling reporters that he had undergone “advanced imaging, laboratory testing and preventative health assessments.”
The president himself ended up confirming his MRI while speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One as it was flying from Malaysia to Japan last month.
“I got an MRI; it was perfect,” he said at the time. “I gave you the full results. We had an MRI… you know the whole thing. And it was perfect.”
Speaking to CNN, Dr. Jonathan Reiner said that there is a laundry list of reasons why Trump’s doctors may have requested an MRI, and that the White House owes the public an explanation.
“Typically, they’re prompted by symptoms,” Reiner said. “They can be neurologic symptoms that prompt an MRI. They could be back pain that prompts an MRI. There can be issues with the heart that would prompt an MRI.”
“For those reasons, the public should really be told, you know, why did the president undergo the test, what consultants he saw, and what was the result of the testing?”
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