Donald Trump in the middle of the night shot down rumors that he could be experiencing health issues after an unscheduled visit to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on Saturday.
He touted that he met with a family whose son was in surgery at the medical center in Bethesda, Maryland, and added the physical portion of his visit as an afterthought.
‘Visited a great family of a young man under major surgery at the amazing Walter Reed Medical Center. Those are truly some of the best doctors anywhere in the world,’ Trump posted to Twitter late Saturday night. ‘Also began phase one of my yearly physical. Everything very good (great!). Will complete next year.’
White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham said the president decided to make the unscheduled visit to complete some routine checkups as part of his annual physical exam because he had a ‘down day’ on Saturday.
Donald Trump dismissed rumors that he is experiencing any health concerns after making an unscheduled visit to Walter Reed Medical Center Saturday – he claimed he was just ‘phase one’ of his annual physical
The president made the visit to Walter Reed, according to his press secretary, because he had a ‘down day’ at the White House on Saturday and wanted to get a jump start on the routine exams
While at Walter Reed, where the president’s motorcade is shown waiting at the center in Bethesda, Maryland, Trump said he met with a family whose son was undergoing ‘major surgery’ the day he visited
‘After a quick exam and labs, the President is headed back downtown,’ Grisham said Saturday afternoon.
‘The President remains healthy and energetic without complaints, as demonstrated by his repeated vigorous rally performances in front of thousands of Americans several times a week,’ Grisham added.
Trump, 73, arrived at Walter Reed Saturday afternoon for the physical exam, which had not been previously announced.
‘Anticipating a very busy 2020, the President is taking advantage of a free weekend here in Washington, D.C., to begin portions of his routine annual physical exam at Walter Reed,’ Grisham had said in a statement.
The president was seen departing the White House residence shortly after 2 p.m. wearing a long dark overcoat and carrying what looked like a tan rectangle-shaped folder or envelope under his arm.
He entered a black SUV outside the White House and the motorcade departed for Walter Reed. Upon arrival at the center, members of the Secret Service’s heavily armed counter-assault team were seen taking up positions at the hospital.
While interviewing White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham (right) about the visit, Fox News host Jeanine Pirro (left) said Trump is ‘almost superhuman’ in reference to his health and stamina
Reporters in the White House pool were forbidden to report on Trump’s departure until after he arrived at the military hospital, where presidents and their families traditionally receive medical care and annual checkups.
Rumors swirled that the president’s impromptu visit to the medical center could mean he was experiencing health issues.
‘The rumors are always flying,’ Grisham told Fox News’ Jeanine Pirro in an appearance on the network Saturday where she discussed the medical checkup.
‘He is healthy as can be. I put a statement out about that,’ she continued. ‘He’s got more energy than anybody in the White House. That man works from 6 a.m. until – you know – very, very late at night. He’s doing just fine.’
This prompted Pirro to pour praise on Trump and his health and stamina.
‘You know Stephanie, he’s almost superhuman,’ Pirro lauded. ‘I don’t know how anyone can deal with what he’s dealing with. It’s just – I mean, I get frustrated with what’s going on in Washington. I mean, I want to throw things at the television, but I don’t.’
Trump’s last physical exam was in February. That exam was announced ahead of time to the public.
This weekend, the president had no public events on his schedule, but had been tweeting steadily from the White House on Saturday prior to departing for Walter Reed.
U.S. President Donald Trump’s motorcade arrives at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland on Saturday
Trump doesn’t drink alcohol or smoke. His primary form of exercise is golf.
The physical came as House investigators on Capitol Hill interviewed a White House budget official as part of the impeachment inquiry.
After Trump’s last checkup in February, Physician to the President Sean Conley said, in a letter to the president’s chief spokeswoman, said that he was ‘in very good health’.
Conley wrote that he expected Trump to ‘remain so for the duration of his Presidency, and beyond.’
The Naval doctor revealed in a memo after the February exam that Trump had gained four pounds since his last checkup, and was technically obese.
Conley said that Trump weighed 243 pounds, just enough for the 6-foot-three president to be designated ‘obese’ by the federal government’s standards.
The February exam, like his 2018 checkup, took about four hours.
Trump’s personal physician Dr. Sean Conley, center, is seen at the White House in April
The 73-year-old president had his last annual checkup in February of this year
Conley wrote after the February exam that Trump is ‘in very good health’
In January 2018, Trump was declared to be in ‘excellent health’ after a battery of tests on his heart, lungs, gastrointestinal system and other areas.
The president’s annual exam isn’t mandatory, but modern-day officeholders have them regularly and release a doctor’s report to assure the public that they are fit for office.
The results of Trump’s first physical as president were disclosed by his doctor at a televised briefing for the press in January 2018, where the president’s doctor at the time, Rear Admiral Ronny Jackson, made comments about the president’s health that were considered hyperbolic by some.
He said that the president’s ‘good genes’ had kept him in ‘excellent’ health, even though he admitted Trump needed to shed some pounds.
Jackson put him on a diet and exercise plan and gave him a goal of losing 10 to 15 pounds.
The White House admitted on the eve of Trump’s 2019 physical, however, that the president hadn’t always followed the plan.