A prominent cardiologist believes President Donald Trump may have quietly had an MRI because he showed symptoms linked to a neurological problem.
Dr. Jonathan Reiner told CNN that there are a number of reasons why Trump’s doctors may have requested the scan, and that he believes the White House owes it to the public to tell the public what the reason was.
“They’re usually driven by symptoms,” Reiner said of the MRI. “It could be neurological symptoms that would require an MRI. It could be back pain that would require an MRI. It could be a heart problem that would require an MRI. And for those reasons, the public really needs to be told why the president had an examination, what consultants he saw and what the results were?”
President Donald Trump’s apparent aches and pains have fueled speculation about his health in 2025. / The Daily Beast / Getty
Reiner was the cardiologist for former Vice President Dick Cheney, who suffers from major heart problems, and is currently a professor at George Washington University in the nation’s capital.
Trump, 79, revealed he had an MRI while speaking to reporters on Air Force One on Monday.
The president’s drooping face at an event in September renewed speculation about his possible health problems. / Andrew Harnik / Andrew Harnik / Getty Images
“I had an MRI,” Trump said. “It was perfect.”
Trump was asked what prompted the scan, but deferred the question to his doctors.
“I have given you all the results,” he continued. “We had an MRI…you know everything. And it was perfect.”
Trump insisted he would alert the press if he ever received negative news about his mental or physical condition.
The last official report on Trump’s health came in a one-page memo after his Oct. 10 visit. visit to Walter Reed Medical Center. The memo said Trump’s “general health is excellent” and that he had undergone “advanced imaging, laboratory tests and preventive health evaluations.”
The White House released the memo after President Donald Trump on Oct. 10. visited Walter Reed Medical Center. / The White House
White House press secretary Karolina Leavitt, 28, when asked what kind of “advanced imaging” Trump underwent this month, dismissed the question, insisting it was part of a routine medical checkup.
Reiner told CNN that the MRI is available never part of a routine inspection.
“An MRI is never part of a routine evaluation, whether you’re the president of the United States or just a civilian,” he said.
President Donald Trump has had bruises on the backs of both hands this year, but the disease has mostly appeared on the back of his right hand. / Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images
Dr. Vin Gupta, a public health physician and MSNBC contributor, agreed with Reiner’s point. He wrote to X: “Even if you’re the leader of the free world, you don’t just get an MRI for no apparent reason.
“The big question,” Reiner said. why Trump was asked to have an MRI because some symptoms or signs should have raised a red flag.
At various points this year, Trump has donned candles, battered hands and a droopy face, raising questions about his physical well-being. It’s not just the increasing memory problems, his struggle with stairs and his inability to walk in a straight line at times.
The White House has often shied away from addressing Trump’s health issues. But in July, she announced that the president was suffering from chronic venous insufficiency, a common circulatory condition in which leg veins have difficulty returning blood to the heart.
Reiner believes there may be a connection between Trump’s ailments, such as bruising on his arm, and what prompted the president’s MRI.
“When it comes to bruising,” he said, “there’s a lot of things that can do that. And you know, the most common cause of bruising on the back of a 79-year-old’s hand is medication. And the typical medication that causes it is a blood thinner.”
Trump added a glittery layer of makeup to cover a bruise on his right hand during a meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney this month. / Anna Moneymaker / Getty Images
He continued, “I mean, I see it every week when I see patients. Blood thinners, especially in older people, cause bruising on the backs of the hands, but we weren’t told that the president was taking it. People take blood thinners for a variety of reasons. You can take it if you’ve had a pulmonary embolism before. You can take it if you have a clot in your leg, DVT. [deep vein thrombosis]and if you have atrial fibrillation, you can take blood thinners.
Reiner speculated that the symptom that prompted Trump to have an MRI could also be the reason he is on blood thinners.
President Donald Trump occasionally hides a bruise on his right arm by covering it with his left hand, as seen in this August photo. At the same event in the Oval Office, he showed with his left hand and revealed that his right was bruised. / Mandel Ngan / AFP via Getty Images.
“People who take blood thinners for atrial fibrillation usually take them indefinitely, and the side effect of those drugs is bruising,” he said. “But why he had an MRI depends on the underlying cause of that drug or other undisclosed medical issues. That’s also important. why he had a test like what the test showed”.
The White House did not respond to a request for comment on Reiner’s remarks.