President Donald Trump revealed he had received a CT scan, and not an MRI scan, during a medical checkup in October that the president and his administration have repeatedly underscored showed normal and healthy results.
"It wasn't an MRI," Trump told the Wall Street Journal in an article published New Year's Day. "It was less than that. It was a scan."
Trump's health has drawn fresh scrutiny in recent months, including after reports said he underwent an MRI during an October visit to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Maryland. The October checkup was Trump's second of 2025, after an April visit in which the White House physician, Navy Capt. Sean P. Barbabella, said the president "remains in exceptional health."
Trump's CT clarification comes as Democrats and liberal media outlets question his fitness, citing his 79 years of age, bruising on his hands and reports of swollen ankles. Trump told the Wall Street Journal he regrets taking the scan.
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"In retrospect, it's too bad I took it because it gave them a little ammunition. I would have been a lot better off if they didn't, because the fact that I took it said, 'Oh gee, is something wrong?' Well, nothing's wrong," Trump said.
MRI and CT scans are both imaging tests, with CT scans using X-rays to create internal cross-section images, while MRI scans use magnet technology and radio waves to capture similar internal images. MRI scans typically gather more detailed images, while CT scans are more frequently used in emergency situations or a patient's initial evaluations as they produce faster results than MRIs.
Trump has repeatedly battled concern over his mental and physical fitness, including Friday morning, when he reported that he had "aced" his third cognitive exam.
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"The White House Doctors have just reported that I am in "PERFECT HEALTH," and that I "ACED" (Meaning, was correct on 100% of the questions asked!), for the third straight time, my Cognitive Examination, something which no other President, or previous Vice President, was willing to take," Trump posted to Truth Social Friday.
He added that he "strongly" supports a mandatory cognitive exam for any politician running for vice president or president, citing the U.S. can't be run by "'STUPID' or INCOMPETENT PEOPLE!"
Barbabella told Fox News Digital in a statement Friday that doctors had initially told Trump that they would perform either an MRI or a CT scan on him during the October visit, and yielded "perfectly normal" results.
"In order to make the most of the president's time at the hospital, we recommended he undergo another routine physical evaluation to ensure continued optimal health," Barbabella said. "As part of that examination, we asked the president if he would undergo advanced imaging - either an MRI or CT Scan - to definitively rule out any cardiovascular issues. The president agreed, and our team of consultants performed a CT Scan. As we revealed in the post-examination report, the advanced imaging was perfectly normal and revealed absolutely no abnormalities."
Barbabella added that Trump's overall examinations show that his health is that of a man 14 years younger than his 79 years of age.
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"President Trump's medical evaluations and laboratory results continue to show excellent metabolic health, and have revealed his cardiovascular health puts him 14 years younger than his age. Overall, the President remains in exceptional health and perfectly suited to execute his duties as Commander in Chief," Barbabella told Fox News Digital.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement to Fox News Digital Friday that the additional details on Trump's October scan continues his vow to be a transparent leader "and has nothing to hide, unlike his predecessor Joe Biden, who hid from the press and lied about his clear physical and mental decline," the New York Post reported.
Trump's health and age has sparked mounting criticism among media outlets and Democrats on social media, swollen legs in July while attending a soccer game, as well as other photos that showed him with bruises on his hands, and others that allegedly show him nodding off during public events. Outlets such as The New York Times have reported that Trump is allegedly "facing the realities of aging" while in office.
Leavitt said in July that Trump's swollen legs were part of a "benign and common condition" for individuals older than age 70, while the bruising on his hands was attributable to "frequent handshaking and the use of aspirin."
Trump said during his Wall Street Journal interview that he historically has taken more aspirin than doctors recommend, citing that he doesn't want to change his decadeslong routine as he's "a little superstitious"
"They say aspirin is good for thinning out the blood, and I don't want thick blood pouring through my heart," Trump told the outlet. "I want nice, thin blood pouring through my heart. Does that make sense?"
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Trump also hit back against claims he falls asleep during meetings and other public events, saying photos promoted by critics allegedly showing him falling asleep are simply moments that capture him blinking.
"Sometimes they'll take a picture of me blinking, blinking, and they'll catch me with the blink," Trump said.
The focus on Trump's health follows the media's relative silence over concerns regarding former President Joe Biden's mental acuity, which conservatives had cited as a cause for concern ahead of the 2020 election. Biden did not face an outpouring of criticism from both the left and right of the political spectrum until June 2024, however, when the federal election was at a fever pitch, and Biden delivered a failed debate performance that showcased him tripping over his words, appearing to lose his train of thought and other missteps.
The Trump administration has pointed to the media's previous presidential health coverage as evidence that journalists have a bias and selectively choose what to report.
"No one believes the failing legacy media's disingenuous obsession about President Trump's health because we all just watched them actively cover up Joe Biden's severe mental health decline for the past four years," White House spokeswoman Taylor Rogers told Fox News Digital in December when asked about Trump's scan.
