After months of speculation about his health, President Donald Trump has appeared to agree to release the results of a recent MRI that he’s previously referenced. It remains unclear why Trump had the examination, with the president himself still oddly claiming that he doesn’t know the reason for the non-routine test. The latest scrutiny over Trump’s health is fallout from the president using a slur against a political rival in a Thanksgiving post on social media.
Trump says he’ll release ‘perfect’ MRI; claims not to know why he was being examined
On Sunday, Trump took questions from reporters covering his trip back to Washington, D.C., from Florida, where he spent Thanksgiving at his Mar-a-Lago resort. When asked about recent calls by Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz for Trump to release the results of an MRI exam the president had in October, Trump appeared to agree.
“If they wanna release it, it’s OK with me to release it. It’s perfect. It’s like my phone call when I got impeached. It’s absolutely perfect,” Trump said. After insulting News Nation for its reporter’s question, Trump reiterated, “News Nation is doing lousy by the way, but if you want to have it released, I’ll release it. Absolutely.”
When asked a follow-up question by a female reporter about what part of his body was being examined during the procedure, Trump again claimed not to know what the purpose of the MRI was.
“I have no idea. It was just an MRI,” Trump said, adding, “It wasn’t the brain because I took a cognitive test and aced it.” He then again insulted a female journalist, saying, “I got a perfect mark, which you would be incapable of doing.”
After Trump’s slur, the Minnesota governor pushed for his MRI results to be made public
The latest scrutiny over Trump’s health came after the president posted a long note on social media announcing a “permanent pause” to immigration from “third world countries” while also insulting several political foes, including using an ableist slur against Walz. The governor responded on X, formerly Twitter, by posting, “Release the MRI results.”
Walz reiterated this call on a Sunday appearance on NBC’s Meet the Press, expressing concern for Trump’s “rantings,” and declaring, “This is not normal behavior. It is not healthy.” Walz explained that “presidents throughout time have released a couple of things. They’ve released their tax returns — not Donald Trump — and they’ve released their medical records — not Donald Trump.” He also pointed out that “has anyone in the history of the world ever have an MRI assigned to them and have no idea what it was for, as he says.”
Scrutiny of Trump’s physical and mental health in his second term
As Walz noted, there has been speculation about Trump’s health for months. During and after the 2024 presidential campaign, Trump and his allies attacked President Joe Biden’s health and mental fitness; Trump is now poised to break Biden’s record as the oldest president in U.S. history before his current term ends. Questions about Trump’s physical health have been fueled by incidents such as mysterious bruising on his hand, and concerns about his mental acuity have lingered after various bizarre speeches and comments, as well as the cognitive tests and still-unexplained MRI exam he’s had.
If Trump does follow through with his pledge to release details surrounding his MRI examination, the pubic may start to get some concrete answers about the president’s health. This information, should it actually be released, may shed light on whether Trump remains physically and mentally fit as he continues to make unusual statements and choices as president.