Recent news headlines have related to the MRI undertaken by Donald Trump, with many people concerned over his age and health.
After the news of Trump’s MRI went viral, White House reporters questioned Trump, 79, to try to ascertain which area of his body had been scanned. At first, the president told reporters that he didn’t know what the doctors were investigating, while shrugging off the medical testing as normal. Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) is a test that uses a strong magnetic field and radio waves to offer clear images of the patient’s internal organs.
Finally, the White House has reported that the October test was undertaken on Donald Trump’s heart and abdomen, with the White House physician Sean P. Barbabella stating that everything was “normal.” While much was reported that an MRI isn’t a standard test for a presidential physical, he characterized the imaging scan as “standard for an executive physical at President Trump’s age.”
A summary of the MRI results was released by the White House Monday and was described as part of a “routine” physical, while Trump’s doctor stated that he is in “excellent health.”
In a memo, Dr. Barbabella wrote that the scan was taken of the president’s cardiovascular system and abdomen and that all the imaging was “perfectly normal.” He confirmed that the MRI was carried out “because men in his age group benefit from a thorough evaluation of cardiovascular and abdominal health.”
According to the memo, “The purpose of this imaging is preventive: to identify issues early, confirm overall health, and ensure he maintains long-term vitality and function.” The White House physician wrote that they found “no evidence of arterial narrowing impairing blood flow or abnormalities in the heart or major vessels. The heart chambers are normal in size, the vessel walls appear smooth and healthy, and there are no signs of inflammation, or clotting.”
The memo continued by describing the abdominal imaging, where “all major organs appear very health and well-perfused. Everything evaluated is functioning within normal limits with no acute or chronic concerns.”
However, while Dr. Barbabella stated that the test was standard, the BBC reports that such imaging is not standard for a typical annual physical. However, some executive physicals run by hospitals can include scans like the MRI.
When the president underwent the scan on Oct. 10, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt described the testing as Trump’s “routine yearly checkup.” However, he had already undergone an annual physical exam in April 2025.
In a memo in October, the doctor stated that the checkup related to Trump’s “ongoing health maintenance plan.” He wrote that the president underwent “advanced imaging, laboratory testing, and preventative health assessments.” However, the doctor did not specifically mention the MRI.
While speaking to reporters on Air Force One on Oct. 27, en route to Japan, Trump revealed that the MRI was run two weeks after the physical exam.
“We had an MRI, MRI and the machine, you know, the whole thing, and it was perfect,” Trump said. When asked for more information, the president added, “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,” he said at the time.
During a Nov. 14 trip on Air Force One, Trump didn’t state what had been scanned, but said the testing was “standard.”
“I have no idea what they analyze, but whatever they analyze, they analyze it well, and they said that I had as good a result as they’ve ever seen,” he said.
.@karolineleavitt reads out President @realDonaldTrump‘s MRI results:
As part of President Donald J. Trump’s comprehensive executive physical, advanced imaging was performed because men in his age group benefit from a thorough evaluation of cardiovascular and abdominal health.… pic.twitter.com/DRCcTUod8G
— Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) December 1, 2025
Meanwhile, speaking to the White House reporters on Sunday, Trump explained he had “no idea” what part of his body had been scanned, making sure to tell them, “What part of the body? It wasn’t the brain because I took a cognitive test and I aced it,” he said. He then told the press he would release the records.
