Donald Trump health fears as ex-White House doctor raises major 'red-flag'

An ex-White House doctor has raised concerns over Donald Trump's physical condition despite the President's claims he is in "perfect" health. The White House released a short memo following Trump's recent visit to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center last month, claiming that the 79-year-old president remains in "excellent overall health." The brief statement, however, offered few details of the physical exam and did not mention that Trump had received an MRI nor the reason for it, fueling speculation about Trump's physical and mental health.

The memo released by the president's doctor, Sean Barbabella said that the visit was "part of his ongoing health maintenance plan and included advanced imaging, laboratory testing and preventive health assessments conducted by a multidisciplinary team of specialists," and said that Trump is "in exceptional health, exhibiting strong cardiovascular, pulmonary, neurological, and physical performance."

Trump unexpectedly told reporters aboard Air Force One: "I got an MRI, it was perfect." When they asked for more details, he said: "You can ask the doctors.

"I think they gave you a very conclusive - nobody has ever given you reports like I gave you, and if I didn't think it was going to be good, either I would let you know negatively, I wouldn't run, I'd do something. But the doctors said some of the best reports for the age, some of the best reports they've ever seen."

Former White House physician who was a doctor for three presidents, has said that the official timeline doesn't add up.

He said that aside from the MRI, other tests and preventive health screenings could have been done in the White House doctor's office within 15 minutes.

He told The Hill: "It's about an eight-minute helicopter ride from the South Lawn to Walter Reed. So we know that he at least had four hours available to undergo medical care. There's a disconnect there."

Concerns about Trump's health have grown in recent months, especially after photos showed noticeable bruising on his hands, a common side effect of blood-thinning medication, and swelling in his ankles.

White House doctors have attributed Trump's swollen ankles to chronic venous insufficiency, a common circulatory issue in older men, and the frequent bruising on his hands to excessive hand shaking.

Some medical experts have said that the administration's partial disclosures have only deepened public suspicion.

Jacob Appel, a psychiatry professor at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and a presidential health historian also said: "I think if you're going to release some information, you want to release enough information that the public at least can put it into context. If you're going to say that you're having an MRI, we should know what the MRI is for."

He added: "We don't know what the MRI was for, because the President hasn't even told us what body part was [scanned] ... an MRI could be something to check for a cognitive issue. 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."