Donald Trump lashed out at White House doctors who made the president undergo a secret medical scan.
During an interview in the Oval Office with New York magazine, the 79-year-old was pressed about an apparent “MRI” that Trump let slip he had in October 2025—an examination the White House originally kept under wraps.
“It was the worst f—ing thing I ever did, and I blame them,” Trump said, pointing at his physician, Dr. Sean Barbabella, and Dr. James Jones, the president’s former medical adviser.
“Can you explain why you asked me that?” Trump added, shaking his head. “Stupidest thing I’ve ever done.”
Jones explained that he suggested Trump undergo another medical scan while the president was scheduled to attend his second of what is meant to be a once-a-year physical at Walter Reed.
“While he was there, I asked him if we could complete some additional physical things that we were planning on doing annually. And he was like, ‘Okay. We will work it in for time schedules,’” Jones said, adding that the procedure was not actually an MRI, which can detect issues such as brain abnormalities or tumors.
“We did a computerized tomography exam of his chest and his abdomen,” Jones said. “It’s MRI-like.”
Trump added that nothing specific prompted him to get the scan. “It’s because the machine was sitting there, I’m sitting right next to it.”
Trump caused confusion last October when he blurted out that he had undergone an MRI during his second physical of the year, but could not specify which part of his body had been examined.
The results of the physical, provided by Barbabella, did not indicate that Trump had undergone an MRI and only noted that he had received “advanced imaging” screening, without providing further detail.
Months later, Trump told The Wall Street Journal that he didn’t undergo an MRI scan after all.
“It wasn’t an MRI,” Trump said. “It was less than that. It was a scan.”
Barbabella confirmed that Trump had actually had a CT scan in order rule out any “cardiovascular issues.” Barbabella said Trump’s doctors initially told the president that he may have an MRI or a CT scan. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt explained to the Journal that White House would often refer to a CT scan as “advanced imaging.”
“There was no evidence of narrowing of any blood vessels,” Barbabella told New York magazine. “And no abnormalities of the heart.”
Jones added: “The reason for the imaging, as routine as we stated, is that any patient his age could have things, and we ruled them out. The story should be about the fact that the results were, uh, perfect. They did not demonstrate any problems.”
Trump’s fury over the scan was part of a lengthy feature detailing the president’s various health issues, many of which have been heavily documented by the Daily Beast.
These include the frequent bruises that appear on the president’s hands and his attempts to cover them with makeup, instances of the 79-year-old appearing to fall asleep in public, and concerns about his apparent cognitive decline.
Trump, who is on course to be the oldest sitting president in U.S. history, also frequently appears in public with swollen cankles—a symptom of chronic venous insufficiency, a condition the White House acknowledged the president had in July 2024.
The New York magazine feature ends with Jones, who served as senior medical leader in the White House under Barack Obama, being asked whether Trump was healthier than the Democratic president, who is 25 years younger than him.
Trump reportedly stared at Jones from across his desk, before Jones quickly replied: “President Trump.”
“Write that,” Trump said, after turning back to Ben Terris, the magazine’s Washington correspondent.
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