Trump’s team has not provided details on why the US president, who has faced mounting questions about his mental fragility , had the MRI or what area of his body it examined
Donald Trump erupted in fury aboard Air Force One as he revealed he was clueless as to where he had his MRI scan.
The US president once again targeted female reporters as they questioned him about his recent health check. Trump has faced questions over a mystery MRI exam, repeatedly insisting he has “no idea” which part of his body was scanned before turning his anger on two female journalists who challenged him.
The 79-year-old president grew visibly defensive as reporters pressed him about the procedure that he underwent last month at Walter Reed Military Medical Centre. The White House has previously described his visit as a routine “annual” physical – even though it was his second such exam this year – but has released no information explaining why the scan was ordered or what it examined.
Asked directly on Sunday what part of his body was imaged, Trump initially brushed off the question. “I have no idea,” he said.
The exchange escalated when a reporter raised comments from Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, who has urged Trump to publish the MRI results. The president immediately lashed out. “Governor Walz, you mean the incompetent governor? So, if they want to release it, it’s OK with me to release it, it’s perfect,” he fumed.
Standing beside him, NewsNation correspondent Libbey Dean pressed on: “What was the reason for it?” Doctors have repeatedly noted that MRIs are not typically ordered during routine medical exams and are usually carried out only when symptoms raise concern.
The president, visibly irritated, turned his anger on her. “If you want to hear about it or if you want to release it,” he began, before glaring at Dean and sneering, “Do you want to have it released? NewsNation? Failing, failing NewsNation.”
When Dean calmly countered, “No, sir, we’re not failing,” Trump shot back: “NewsNation is doing lousy, by the way.” Another female journalist then attempted to clarify the matter, asking once again which part of his body had been scanned. Trump repeated, “I have no idea. It was just an MRI. What, part of the body? It wasn’t the brain because I took a cognitive test and I aced it, I got a perfect mark.”
Pointing his finger at the reporter, he added, “Which you would be incapable of doing.” Gesturing toward Dean, he continued, “You too,” abruptly ending the press huddle.
Medical experts have expressed disbelief at the president’s repeated claims that he is unaware of which part of his body was examined. Dr Vin Gupta, a medical analyst and former Chief Medical Officer at Amazon, dismissed Trump’s explanation outright.
“You know when you get an MRI what part of your body is going into the very narrow part of that MRI scanner because you hear it. You have to be in there for, you know, anywhere from 15 to 45 minutes,” he said.
Questions about Trump’s health and mental fragility have intensified in recent months, particularly as his public combativeness and verbal missteps become more frequent.
The president’s insistence that he “aced” a dementia screening has done little to calm critics, nor has the suggestion that he is unaware of the most basic facts of a medical scan he personally underwent. The White House has so far offered no clarification regarding the purpose of the MRI, what prompted it, or which part of the president’s body was imaged.
Officials released only a short physician’s note in the wake of his Walter Reed visit, describing Trump as being in “excellent overall health” without mentioning the scan at all, until the president himself inadvertently revealed it during an earlier conversation with reporters.
Sunday’s confrontation is the latest in a string of clashes between Trump and female journalists. On Thanksgiving, he called a reporter “stupid,” told another to “learn how to be a reporter,” and notoriously snapped “Quiet, piggy!” at Bloomberg correspondent Catherine Lucy.
His remarks have drawn growing criticism from press freedom advocates and revived concerns that the president’s impatience and volatility are worsening.
