Donald Trump’s health is back in the spotlight after Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt struggled to explain what kind of scan the 79-year-old president had during his latest checkup.
The visit to Walter Reed earlier this month was Trump’s second medical exam this year. It ended with a brief five-paragraph summary from White House physician Sean Barbabella. In it, Barbabella declared Trump in “excellent health,” claiming his “cardiac age” was 14 years younger than his real one. The doctor said the lab results were “exceptional” and mentioned that Trump had undergone “advanced imaging.”
The phrase “advanced imaging” raised eyebrows. It could mean a CT scan, an MRI, or even a nuclear medicine scan, all of which can reveal serious conditions like heart disease, tumors, or infections. But when reporters pressed Leavitt for details, she didn’t have answers.
What are they hiding?
Karoline Leavitt is asked: “Any more details on the President’s Walter Reed visit? The readout from his doctor mentioned ‘advanced imaging.’ What procedure was he referring to?”
She responds:
“Advanced imaging is something that presidents receive and… pic.twitter.com/4bNdPnV5qM— Ed Krassenstein (@EdKrassen) October 23, 2025
“Advanced imaging is something that presidents receive and people receive when they go to the doctor, and so we provided a detailed readout of that physical, and I would encourage you back for that,” she said. Asked again if it was an MRI, Leavitt admitted: “I don’t know the exact imaging that took place, but as the physician’s note said, the president is in incredibly good shape and I think that’s evidenced here every single day.”
Trump’s October 10 visit caught attention partly because it came just six months after his last one, and because of his recent health issues, including swollen ankles and bruised hands.
In July, the White House said Trump had Chronic Venous Insufficiency. This is a condition where veins struggle to return blood to the heart. It’s not deadly, but doctors say it gets worse with age and poor diet. As for the bruising, the White House blamed “serial handshaking” and an aspirin regimen.
Still, Trump keeps insisting he’s in great shape. Before his latest exam, he bragged about acing a cognitive test in April. “I had a perfect score, and one of the doctors said he’s almost never seen a perfect score,” Trump told reporters. “Physically, I feel very good. Mentally, I feel very good.”
As a RN, I can tell you this is a complete LIE! He is not in good health. Trump is a 79 year OLD, sedentary, overweight, bloated, poor diet, that has swollen ankles, right sided droopiness, purple area on right hand. This sounds like a report from Ronny Jackson, The Candy Man! 🙄 pic.twitter.com/8NUxkYFVid
— Annie (@AnnieForTruth) October 14, 2025
But his October report didn’t include any new cognitive results, and not everyone is convinced. Dr. John Gartner, a former Johns Hopkins professor, told The Daily Beast Podcast that Trump’s “nonsensical speeches,” confusion, and memory lapses show “immense cognitive decline.” With Trump holding the nuclear codes, Gartner said, “it really would be impossible to overstate the grave risk that all of us are at right now.”
“Because of his cognitive decline,” he added, Trump “is focusing on things like the [White House] ballroom and the paper that he writes things on.”
“We’re seeing a stone skipping along the water,” Gartner said. “He’s going from one association to another, but it doesn’t make any linear sense.”
