It’s been three days since President Donald Trump visited Walter Reed Medical Center for his latest physical examination, and the White House has yet to release the results. As CNN reports, this break from the administration’s own previous practices will likely “fuel further questions about his health and fitness.”While Trump took to social media to declare his “perfect” health following the hourslong visit, and despite assurances that a report on the checkup would be made available in “the next day or so,” there is no evidence that the White House or the president’s physician plan on offering a public presentation. According to CNN, “The three-day silence marks a departure from the White House’s handling of Trump’s prior physical exams. After a visit to Walter Reed last April, personal physician Dr. Sean Barbabella summarized the results in a memo released two days later. When Trump returned for another exam in October, Barbabella’s declaration that he remained in “exceptional health” was published later the same day. This time, Trump has so far served as the only source of information about his own health just weeks out from his 80th birthday.”“It’s unimaginable to me that the White House would not release a statement about the president’s health — even the most basic statement,” Dr. Jonathan Reiner, professor at The George Washington School of Medicine & Health Sciences and longtime cardiologist for former Vice President Dick Cheney, told CNN. “It’s going to really spark concerns about the president’s fitness for office if the White House refuses to disclose his medical report.” Trump’s physical and mental fitness have become growing concerns among Americans over his second term, as he has visibly deteriorated and his behavior has become increasingly “erratic.” From his bruised hands, to his swollen ankles, to his tendency to doze off and repeat himself, doctors have pointed to many health concerns. While CNN notes that none of these conditions are theoretically all that alarming on their own, “the White House’s reluctance to provide fuller details only makes it more difficult to allay any bigger concerns.”“It would imply that there is information they don’t want the public to hear,” said Reiner. “It intensifies the distrust in their transparency.” In the face of his visible decline, Trump and his officials frequently tout his physical and cognitive capabilities. They claim that he is in outstanding physical condition thanks to golf and “incredible genes,” and dismiss and even mock suggestions of his infirmity. And Trump himself frequently brags about “acing” his repeated cognitive tests, but as many experts have pointed out, these tests are designed to be easy for anyone without dementia or some other form of cognitive impairment. "The president has long struggled to understand the point of these tests,” one analyst explained recently, “but that hasn’t stopped him from his obsessive boasts about being able to pass exams used to identify dementia, mental deterioration and neurodegenerative diseases." Despite Trump’s protestations, Americans have noticed his decline, and now 59 percent doubt his mental acuity to serve, while 55 percent doubt he is in physical shape for it. Even some from his own orbit have expressed concern. In April, after Trump threatened that “a whole civilization will die tonight” if Iran didn’t bend to his demands, Democrats weren’t alone in calling for the 25th Amendment. Even longtime Trump allies like Alex Jones, who had supported Trump’s political project from the beginning, said it was time for the president to be removed. “I think we’re dealing with the madness of King George III here,” said Jones at the time.And now, as the administration continues to drag its feet on releasing Trump’s latest health report, suspicions are sure to grow.“This White House just doesn’t seem to want to acknowledge any physical ailment, but older people develop medical issues, and the president is almost 80 years old,” said Reiner. “There just seems to be a lack of candor from the White House.”
