Donald Trump has pledged to make public the results of a recent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan, but the 79-year-old US president conceded to reporters that he does not know which part of his body was examined.
Confusion Over Presidential Health Check
The remarks were made on Sunday night aboard Air Force One as Trump returned to Washington DC following a Thanksgiving break in Palm Beach, Florida. This episode has intensified the ongoing scrutiny concerning the cognitive abilities and mental fitness of the oldest-ever US president.
When questioned by journalists about whether he would release the scan's outcome, Trump responded, "If you want to have it released, I'll release it." He asserted the result was "perfect" and "the best result he has ever seen as a doctor," yet repeatedly stated he had "no idea" what the scan was for. "It wasn't the brain because I took a cognitive test, and I aced it," he added, referencing previous assessments of his brain function.
Political Reactions and Late-Night Rants
The scan was conducted during a surprise visit to the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on 10 October, initially described by the White House as a routine check-up despite Trump having an annual physical in April. His vagueness about the procedure has drawn sharp criticism from political opponents.
Tim Walz, the Democratic Governor of Minnesota and running mate to Kamala Harris, criticised Trump during an appearance on NBC's Meet the Press. "Has anyone in the history of the world ever had an MRI assigned to them and have no idea what it was for, as he says?" Walz said. "It's clear the president's fading physically... there are reasons for us to be concerned."
Walz also referenced lengthy, wide-ranging posts Trump made on his Truth Social platform late on Thanksgiving night. These posts contained considerable anti-immigrant rhetoric following the shooting of two National Guard members in Washington. The suspect, an Afghan national, was admitted to the US in September 2021 and granted asylum in April of this year.
Continued Controversial Comments
Trump's social media activity also included an outdated slur directed at Walz and extended racially charged insults towards Democratic Congresswoman Ilhan Omar. On Air Force One, he repeated an unproven allegation that Omar, born in Somalia, married her brother to gain US admission, stating, "If that's true, she shouldn't be a congressman and we should throw her the hell out of our country."
Upon returning to the White House, Trump posted another scathing message aimed at Democratic Arizona Senator Mark Kelly, a former astronaut. In November, Trump claimed Kelly and other Democrats had engaged in "seditious behavior, punishable by death" for informing military personnel they could disobey illegal orders. According to reports, Trump made several attempts to correct the grammar in this post, which referenced laws on impairing military discipline.
This series of events continues to fuel debates about the president's health and judgement as he prepares for the next term in office.
