Lenin Nolly/NurPhoto via AP
After casually stating he received an MRI in October, President Donald Trump now says he did not actually undergo one.
On Thursday, The Wall Street Journal published a deep dive into the president’s health, which has drawn increasing attention due to images of Trump’s bruised hands and his struggles to stay awake at times during public appearances. The Journal spoke with Trump, who, among other things, revealed he takes large amounts of aspirin because he wants “nice, thin blood pouring through my heart.” He also deemed exercise “boring.”
The president also said he did not receive an MRI at Walter Reed Medical Center, despite claiming he got one.
“I did, I got an MRI — it was perfect,” he stated in October. “I gave you the full results. We had an MRI and the machine, you know, the whole thing, and it was perfect.”
The president did not say why he received an MRI, nor did he specify the area that was examined. But Trump now says he did not get one.
“It wasn’t an MRI,” Trump told the Journal. “It was less than that. It was a scan.”
The newspaper said the president’s doctor, Navy Capt. Sean Barbabella, said that Trump received a CT scan. Barbabella said Trump was told he would receive either an MRI or a CT scan “to definitively rule out any cardiovascular issues,” which the scan reportedly did. The White House did not make Barbabella available for an interview.
Elsewhere in the interview, Trump objected to suggestions that he falls asleep during meetings.
“I’ll just close. It’s very relaxing to me. Sometimes they’ll take a picture of me blinking, blinking, and they’ll catch me with the blink,” the president told the Journal.
“My health is perfect,” he insisted. “Genetics are very important. And I have very good genetics.”
