What did Donald Trump do today?
He accidentally revealed more about his "routine physical" than he probably meant to.
Last month, Trump visited Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. At the time, his staff insisted that the visit was "routine," even though it was the second such screening in a year, and Trump had been suffering from a variety of visible symptoms and prolonged absences from the public eye.
Speaking with reporters today aboard Air Force One, Trump confirmed that he had undergone an MRI, adding, "I gave you the full results." This is a lie: the results of the MRI—or even its existence—had not been disclosed before. Pressed for details, he called it "perfect" and insisted that his physicians told him it was "some of the best reports they've ever seen."
MRIs, or magnetic resonance imaging scans, are never, ever given as a matter of routine to healthy patients—no matter how elderly or politically important. They are only given to help diagnose specific ailments, or to rule out or confirm a diagnosis. While armchair diagnosis is hardly a science, it's been difficult for medical professionals to miss the potential symptoms of heart disease or transient ischemic attacks (better known as "mini-strokes") that Trump has displayed in recent years. MRIs can help diagnose both.
MRIs can also help identify the root causes of certain diseases affecting cognitive function like Alzheimer's. Trump, who became disoriented while trying to navigate an unfamiliar room in Japan today and needed to be personally guided around by the new Japanese Prime Minister, once again bragged about passing this dementia screening test.
Trump, and this is a direct quote, characterized it as "very hard."
Why does this matter?
- Presidents don't have to be in perfect health, but they do have to be willing to tell the truth about their health.
- Presidents who are cognitively impaired, even just some of the time, are not fit for office and should resign or be removed.