A White House memorandum from President Trump’s physician, Captain Sean P. Barbabella, stated that the MRI scan of the president’s heart and abdomen was “perfectly normal”. The memo, released in December 2025, explained that the advanced imaging was a preventative measure standard for a man of Trump’s age to assess his cardiovascular and abdominal health. The results showed no signs of arterial narrowing, clotting, or other acute or chronic concerns.
- Reason for scan: The MRI was described as a preventative measure, standard for an executive physical at President Trump’s age to screen his cardiovascular and abdominal health.
- Cardiac findings: The cardiac imaging was “perfectly normal,” showing no arterial narrowing, inflammation, or clotting. His heart chambers were normal in size and major blood vessels appeared healthy.
- Abdominal findings: The abdominal imaging also showed all major organs functioning within normal limits with no acute or chronic issues.
- Overall health: The memo concluded that President Trump “remains in excellent overall health”.
Dr Barbabella’s father must have been Gepetto, or he’s terrified of missing something, or he doesn’t know what he’s doing. A whole-body MRI is not a standard test for an asymptomatic elderly man.
1. Not recommended by any major guideline
Organizations such as:
- U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF)
- American College of Radiology (ACR)
- American College of Physicians (ACP)
do not recommend whole-body MRI screening for people without symptoms.
2. High rate of “incidentalomas”
Whole-body MRI often finds:
- benign cysts,
- harmless nodules,
- age-related changes.
These frequently trigger:
- additional imaging,
- biopsies,
- sometimes unnecessary procedures,
without improving outcomes.
Studies show incidental findings in 20–40% of whole-body scans, the vast majority clinically insignificant.
3. No proven mortality benefit
There is no evidence that scanning asymptomatic elderly individuals reduces:
- cancer deaths,
- cardiovascular events,
- or overall mortality.
Why the press that chases any whiff of a misstep by the president fails to ask follow-up questions about this MRI is another sign of their total ignorance of anything medical. Presidential medical care continues to resemble an episode of Star Trek.
