US President Donald Trump speaks during a meeting at the White House AFP News
Donald Trump, 79, has spent his second presidency insisting he is in perfect health, yet he has also been strangely fixated on his own mortality and prospects in the afterlife. This contradiction has fuelled online speculation for months.
Now, the president has finally admitted to reporters that his recent, mysterious visit to Walter Reed medical centre included an MRI scan, an examination far outside a 'routine' physical.
What Is Donald Trump Hiding About His Health?
Speaking on board Air Force One, President Donald Trump finally provided a reason for his second medical examination this year. He had previously dodged questions about the visit, telling reporters to 'ask the doctors' why he went to the medical facility.
This time, he was declarative, if not detailed. 'I did. I got an MRI. It was perfect,' he bragged, in yet another assertion of his perfect health.
'I gave you the full results,' he continued. 'We had an MRI, and the machine, you know, the whole thing, and it was perfect.' The White House has not stated what part of the president's body was scanned or the reason for the test.
The 'Very Weird' Visit That Has Critics Questioning Donald Trump
The president's admission has only thrown fuel on the fire of online speculation. Harry Sisson, a left-wing influencer, branded the comments as 'very weird.'
'WOAH: Trump just accidentally let it slip that he got an MRI scan at Walter Reed recently,' Sisson wrote on X. 'His team claimed his visit was for a regular physical but MRI scans are not done at a routine physical. They're for diagnosing serious conditions. Very weird...'
The president's team has not yet clarified why the MRI was needed during what they had described as a regular physical.
'Best Reports Ever Seen': Donald Trump Brags Amid Afterlife Fixation
Despite the concern, Donald Trump continued to brag about his health while on the presidential plane, claiming that doctors said he has 'some of the best reports they've ever seen.'
'I think they gave you a very conclusive – nobody has ever given you reports like I gave you,' he said. 'And if I didn't think it was going to be good, either, I would let you know negatively, I wouldn't run. I'd do something. But the doctor said some of the best reports for the age, some of the best reports they've ever seen.'
This bravado stands in stark contrast to the president's other recent comments. During his second presidency, Trump has repeatedly and bizarrely questioned his own chances of getting into Heaven and regularly talks about going on to the afterlife.
He has openly conceded that he has doubts about whether he will see the pearly gates.
'I think I'm not maybe heaven-bound,' he told reporters on Air Force One on October 13. Trump also said that he does not think 'there's anything going to get me in heaven.'
This fixation on mortality is paired with other physical health controversies. The president has often been seen with heavy, mysterious bruising on the back of his hand, which is frequently smudged or appears concealed with make-up.
While Trump's physician, Dr Sam Barbabella, said that the bruising was caused by the president shaking people's hands throughout the day and from taking aspirin, the explanation has not satisfied critics.
Tsident was also publicly diagnosed with chronic venous insufficiency, a non-life-threatening condition which prevents blood flowing easily from the legs to the heart and often causes patients to suffer from swollen ankles.
I can't wait for his legs to explode like microwaved hot dogs.
Once they start squealing, that's a bad sign.
I can hear it now!