Trump’s MRI scan row: Ex-White House doctor questions treatment timeline, points out one major ‘disconnect’

Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One, “I got an MRI, it was perfect,” without offering any further details.

Trump’s health scrutiny grows after MRI disclosure

Trump’s unexpected revelation that he had an MRI is raising fresh concerns regarding the secrecy surrounding his health and the necessity of greater transparency from presidents.

Trump, who is the oldest president to be elected, has always been portrayed as strong and energetic by his supporters and advisors.

Meanwhile, several outside physicians voiced concerns after Trump made his second visit in six months to Walter Reed Military Medical Center in October, which the White House billed as a regular follow-up visit.

Trump lately came under fire after pictures of his alleged swollen legs and a bruised hand coated in makeup surfaced online. The White House later revealed his diagnosis of chronic venous insufficiency, and authorities stated that the bruise was triggered by excessive hand shaking.

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Former White House doctor weighs in on concerns around Trump’s MRI

Jeffrey Kuhlman, who worked as a White House doctor for three presidents and wrote a book titled “Transforming Presidential Healthcare,” revealed that he was not shocked that a 79-year-old man required a follow-up examination and that presidents frequently visit Walter Reed for advanced imaging, The Hill reported.

“Most any procedure scope, I had the capabilities there at the White House. The only thing I couldn’t, that I’d have to Walter Reed for, is advanced imaging,” Kuhlman stated.

However, Kuhlman raised concerns about the timeline of the treatment disclosed by Trump’s doctor, Sean Barbabella. Aside from the MRI, additional tests and preventive health screenings could have been completed in the White House doctor’s office within 15 minutes, as per The Hill.

Stressing that the helicopter ride from South Lawn to Walter Reed takes just eight minutes, Kuhlman said, “So we know that he at least had four hours available to undergo medical care,” pointing out that “There’s a disconnect there.”

However, there is no legal obligation for an administration to be open about a president’s private medical information. Presidents in the past have lied and even not revealed their ailments. But experts point out that there is a conflict between what a president wishes to reveal and what the American people have a stake in knowing, as per the outlet.

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‘We should know what the MRI is for,’ says Jacob Appel

Jacob Appel, a presidential health historian and professor of psychiatry at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, stated that the public interest is not served by selectively disseminating information or by filtering it through political propaganda. “If you’re going to say that you’re having an MRI, we should know what the MRI is for,” Appel stated, as per The Hill.

As the President did not disclose which body part was scanned, the presidential health historian stressed, “We don’t know what the MRI was for…an MRI could be something to check for a cognitive issues.”

Appel continued, “It could be something to check for a heart issue. It could be the president twisted an ankle and they’re afraid that he is a bone fracture. So it could be almost anything.”