The guy we have to thank for Dick Cheney living as long as he did with extraordinary heart problems says that president Donald Trump ain’t looking too hot.
“The president has not looked well,” wrote Jonathan Reiner, a professor of medicine and surgery at George Washington University, in a new essay for The New York Times.
Reiner acted as Cheney’s cardiologist for 27 years, so he knows a thing or two about politicians in failing coronary health; the former vice president’s heart problems were so frequent and so publicized that the rapper Marshall “Eminem” Mathers made fun of them in one of his most iconic songs.
He — Reiner, not Eminem — notes some of the things many of you have probably noticed already about the president, who just turned 80 in June: the large bruises that’ve been visible on both of Trump’s hands, the swelling in his legs, and how the chief executive frequently dozes off.
But he also dived into some details you missed. For one, he demanded more clarity around Trump’s most recent health examination.
“The president was evaluated by 22 consultants, an extraordinary number of specialists for even the most extensive executive health evaluation,” Reiner wrote.
The White House doctor’s official explanation for Trump’s swelling legs doesn’t add up, too, he says. It’s described as a “chronic venous insufficiency,” a condition that develops gradually over time. But during his last physical examination a few months ago, Trump’s doctor said there was no swelling in his legs.
“If that’s true, his swelling would be by definition acute, not chronic,” Reiner said. “Acute leg swelling is a potentially much more consequential finding that can be caused by issues such as heart and kidney disease. What’s the reason for this discrepancy?”
Mysteriously, Trump also underwent MRI imaging on his heart and abdomen in October. His physician’s reasoning was evasive: to confirm Trump’s “overall health.” That raises a major question: “Was there a specific symptom or clinical event that prompted this testing?” Reiner asks.
Some other incongruities is Trump’s previous medical reports include stating he was taking the hair loss drug finasteride before dropping all mention of the treatment, and why he’s frequently undergone a simple cognitive test — which Trump wrongly boasted was an IQ test that he aced — that’s traditionally used when there’s a concern that a patient might be showing signs of dementia.
Regardless if these indicate serious health issues or not, Reiner argues, the public deserves to know.
“In a representative democracy, the people must have confidence in the health of their leader, and in the leader’s capacity to guide the nation,” he wrote. “We have been kept in the dark too long.”
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