WASHINGTON (AP) 鈥� President Donald Trump defended his energy and health in an interview with The Wall Street Journal and disclosed that he had a CT scan, not an MRI scan, during an October examination about which he and the White House delayed offering details.
Trump, in the interview published Thursday, said he regretted undergoing the advanced imaging on his heart and abdomen during an October visit to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center because it raised public questions about his health. His physician said in a memo the White House released in December that he had 鈥渁dvanced imaging鈥� as a preventative screening for a man his age.
Trump but said he didn’t know what part of his body he had scanned. A CT scan is a quicker form of diagnostic imaging than an MRI but offers less detail about differences in tissue.
The president’s doctor, Navy Capt. Sean Barbabella, said in a statement released Thursday by the White House that Trump underwent the exam in October because he planned to be at Walter Reed to meet people working there. Trump had
鈥淧resident Trump agreed to meet with the staff and soldiers at Walter Reed Medical Hospital in October. In order to make the most of the President鈥檚 time at the hospital, we recommended he undergo another routine physical evaluation to ensure continued optimal health,鈥� Barbabella said.
Barbabella said he asked the president to undergo either a CT scan or MRI 鈥渢o definitively rule out any cardiovascular issues鈥� and the results were “perfectly normal and revealed absolutely no abnormalities.”
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement Thursday that the president鈥檚 doctors and the White House have 鈥渁lways maintained the President received advanced imaging鈥� but said that 鈥渁dditional details on the imaging have been disclosed by the President himself鈥� because he 鈥渉as nothing to hide.鈥�
鈥淚n retrospect, it鈥檚 too bad I took it because it gave them a little ammunition,鈥� Trump said in the . 鈥淚 would have been a lot better off if they didn鈥檛, because the fact that I took it said, 鈥極h gee, is something wrong?鈥� Well, nothing鈥檚 wrong.鈥�
The 79-year-old became the oldest person to take the oath of office when he was sworn in as president last year and has been sensitive to questions about his health, particularly as he has repeatedly questioned his predecessor Joe Biden’s fitness for office.
Biden, who turned 82 in the last year of his presidency, was dogged by scrutiny of his age and mental acuity at the end of his tenure and during his abandoned attempt to seek reelection.
But questions have also swirled around Trump’s health this year as he’s been seen with bruising on the back of his right hand that has been conspicuous despite a slathering of makeup on top, along with noticeable swelling at his ankles.
The White House this summer said the president had been diagnosed with , a common condition among older adults. The condition happens when veins in the legs can鈥檛 properly carry blood back to the heart and it pools in the lower legs.
In the interview, Trump said he briefly tried wearing compression socks to address the swelling but stopped because he didn’t like them.
The bruising on Trump’s hand, according to Leavitt, is from 鈥渇requent handshaking and the use of aspirin,鈥� which Trump takes regularly to reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke.
He said he takes more aspirin than his doctors recommend but said he has resisted taking less because he鈥檚 been taking it for 25 years and said he is 鈥渁 little superstitious.鈥� Trump takes 325 milligrams of aspirin daily, according to Barbabella.
鈥淭hey say aspirin is good for thinning out the blood, and I don鈥檛 want thick blood pouring through my heart,鈥� Trump said. 鈥淚 want nice, thin blood pouring through my heart. Does that make sense?鈥�
Trump, in the interview, denied he has fallen asleep during White House meetings , instead insisting he was resting his eyes or blinking.
鈥淚鈥檒l just close. It鈥檚 very relaxing to me,鈥� he said. 鈥淪ometimes they鈥檒l take a picture of me blinking, blinking, and they鈥檒l catch me with the blink.鈥�
He said that he’s never slept much at night, , and said he starts his day early in the White House residence before moving to the Oval Office around 10 a.m. and working until 7 p.m. or 8 p.m.
The president dismissed questions about his hearing, saying he only struggled to hear 鈥渨hen there鈥檚 a lot of people talking,” and said he has plenty of energy, which he credited to his genes.
鈥淕enetics are very important,鈥� he said. 鈥淎nd I have very good genetics.鈥�
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