White House stonewalling on Trump's 3rd physical in 13 months raises questions

The White House has not yet released the full results of President Donald Trump’s annual physical, his third in 13 months. The president had medical and dental exams at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on Tuesday. Trump has taken to calling it his 6-month physical.

“The White House is saying little about President Trump’s check-up,” NPR reported on Wednesday, while noting critics were saying the lack of transparency only served to raise more questions about the president’s health.

On Thursday, NBC News reported that a “White House official said Tuesday they expected to have ‘a readout in the next day or so.’ Trump, who turns 80 on June 14, is the oldest president ever to have been inaugurated and has been subject to persistent speculation about his health throughout his second term.”

CBS News, also reporting on the lack of results being released, added that the “White House has not yet said if or when a summary will be released.”

Last year on April 13, the Physician to the President, Captain Sean P. Barbabella, D.O., released a memo on Trump’s “Annual Physical Examination Results” from two days earlier.

“President Trump remains in excellent health, exhibiting robust cardiac, pulmonary, neurological, and general physical function,” his conclusion read. “His active lifestyle continues to contribute significantly to his well-being. President Trump’s days include participation in multiple meetings, public appearances, press availability, and frequent victories in golf events. President Trump exhibits excellent cognitive and physical health and is fully fit to execute the duties of the Commander-in-Chief and Head of State.”

No such memo has yet to be released for the latest physical examination.

“For this visit, in the same time frame, the White House has not released any information on the president’s vitals, medications, lab results or additional testing,” NBC noted. “The White House did not immediately respond to questions about whether it was still planning to release details of the visit.”

Trump’s previous physical examination was on October 10, with Dr. Barbabella releasing the results that same day. NBC notes there is “no constitutional or legal requirement that a president release his medical records, but it’s been a consistent practice for most modern presidents, including Joe Biden, Barack Obama, Bill Clinton, George H.W. Bush, George W. Bush and Ronald Reagan.”

After Tuesday’s physical, Trump did not wait for an official statement from his doctor, declaring that “Everything checked out perfectly.”