President Donald Trump’s physician on Monday released a note about the president’s unannounced examination at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center two days earlier amid “some speculation” about his health.
Dr. Sean Conley, in a memo to White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham, said Trump’s visit to the Bethesda, Maryland, hospital was for a “routine, planned interim checkup as part of the regular, primary preventative care he receives throughout the year.”
“Due to scheduling uncertainties, the trip was kept off the record,” Conley wrote. “Despite some speculation, the President has not had any chest pain, nor was he evaluated or treated for any urgent or acute issues. Specifically, he did not undergo any specialized cardiac or neurologic evaluation.”
Trump’s annual physical exam was on his public schedule last year, causing some to wonder whether the president had a medical issue that prompted the weekend Walter Reed visit.
Grisham denied anything was wrong with the president during an appearance Saturday on Fox News.
“We’ve got a really busy year ahead,” Grisham said, “and so the president decided to go to Walter Reed and kind of get a head start with some routine checkups as part of his annual exam.”
“He is healthy as can be,” she added. “He’s got more energy than anybody in the White House.”
Trump acknowledged his exam in a tweet Sunday, stating that everything is “very good (great!)”
Conley wrote in his memo that a summary of results for Trump’s lab tests and exams would be incorporated in a full report next year, but he provided the president’s cholesterol levels, which have improved since last year.
The president has total cholesterol of 165 (mg/dL) and his LDL or “bad” cholesterol is 84, Conley wrote. At his physical in February, Trump’s total cholesterol was 196, down from 223 in January 2018. His LDL was 122 in February, a decrease from 143 a year earlier.
Doctors recommend a total cholesterol level in adults below 200 and an LDL between 70 and 130.
“Primary preventative care is something that occurs continuously throughout the year,” Conley wrote. “It is not just a single event. As such, I will continue to monitor the President’s health, planning a more comprehensive examination after the New Year.”