Trump has his annual check-up, but will he finally share details of his health?
The oldest US president to be sworn into office has long kept basic facts about his health shrouded in secrecy
Donald Trump had his annual physical on Friday, a check-up that may give the public its first details in years about the health of a man who, in January, became the oldest in US history to be sworn in as president.
“I have never felt better, but nevertheless, these things must be done!” Trump, 78, posted on his social media site ahead of the examination, which was conducted at Walter Reed National Military Medical Centre in Bethesda, Maryland.
How long the exam took was not immediately clear as Trump did not speak to reporters before or after it. All told, however, he spent more than five hours at the centre before heading to Air Force One and flying to Florida for the weekend.
Despite long questioning predecessor Joe Biden’s physical and mental capacity, Trump has routinely kept basic facts about his own health shrouded in secrecy – shying away from traditional presidential transparency on medical issues. If history is any indication, his latest physical is likely to produce a flattering report that is scarce on details.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters at the White House while Trump was still being examined that the president was undergoing his “routine and long-scheduled physical”.
She promised a readout from the White House doctor that would be released “as soon as we possibly can” and suggested it would be comprehensive.