President Donald Trump tweeted that he is in “very good” health following an unscheduled visit to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland, on Saturday.
CNN reports that the president made the off-the-books trip to Walter Reed on Saturday afternoon. He spent two hours undergoing a “quick exam and labs” in anticipation of a “very busy 2020” according to a statement from White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham.
“Anticipating a very busy 2020, the President is taking advantage of a free weekend here in Washington, D.C., to begin portions of his routine annual physical exam at Walter Reed,” the White House said, shortly after media sources revealed the visit. “The President remains healthy and energetic without complaints, as demonstrated by his repeated vigorous rally performances in front of thousands of Americans several times a week,
“He’s healthy as can be,” she later added in an appearance on Fox News. “He has more energy than anybody in the White House. That man works from 6 a.m. until very, very late at night. Anticipating a very busy 2020, the President is taking advantage of a free weekend here in Washington, D.C., to begin portions of his routine annual physical exam at Walter Reed.”
Grisham added that the president visited an injured Afghanistan veteran and his family while he was at Walter Reed.
The president himself tweeted about the visit very early Sunday morning.
“Visited a great family of a young man under major surgery at the amazing Walter Reed Medical Center,” Trump said on social media. “Those are truly some of the best doctors anywhere in the world. Also began phase one of my yearly physical. Everything very good (great!). Will complete next year.”
Visited a great family of a young man under major surgery at the amazing Walter Reed Medical Center. Those are truly some of the best doctors anywhere in the world. Also began phase one of my yearly physical. Everything very good (great!). Will complete next year.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 17, 2019
News of the president’s visit to Walter Reed broke late in the day on Saturday, causing rumors to spread on social media that the president was suffering from a medical emergency. The visit was, admittedly, strange. Typically, the president visits Walter Reed for his full workup early in the year and the appointment always appears on the president’s public calendar. It’s also unusual to split a yearly exam into several parts.
A source for The Hill did not help matters, telling the Washington, D.C., based outlet that the president had suffered some “chest discomfort” Saturday, prompting the pow-wow with Walter Reed’s medical staff.
“#BreakingNews Sources tell me from Walter Reed the President was being checked out for chest discomfort. No other information is available at this time,” Andrew Vernon, a “veterans issues” expert tweeted. The “chest discomfort” detail, though, remains unconfirmed by both media and the White House as of Sunday afternoon.
The president’s previous health screens — he must undergo one every year — have come up negative for major health problems, though last year, CNN’s Sanjay Gupta theorized, based on Trump’s diet and the results of coronary calcium CT scan (released as part of the President’s full healthcare workup), that the president might have a mild form of heart disease. Given the stress the president has been under these past few weeks, particularly with the ongoing impeachment inquiry — “chest discomfort” isn’t an outside possibility.
The White House and the president, however, maintain that Trump is in excellent health.