WASHINGTON ― Briefing reporters on the results of President Donald Trump’s first presidential medical evaluation, White House doctor Ronny Jackson on Tuesday emphasized the president’s “excellent” health and dismissed the question on many people’s minds since the recent release of Michael Wolff’s bombshell book: Is the president mentally up to his job?
As HuffPost’s S.V. Date notes, “Wolff’s book, Fire and Fury, portrays a delusional, ignorant and impulsive chief executive who may also be suffering from a loss of his cognitive skills ― a description that has brought into public discourse what had previously been off-limits.”
Some hoped Trump’s Friday’s medical evaluation would include a cognitive or psychiatric assessment of the 71-year-old president. The government recommends Medicare recipients over age 65 undergo a cognitive assessment as part of their annual physicals.
Jackson stressed that Trump’s examination at Walter Reed Military Medical Center contained a cognitive assessment that the president passed with flying colors.
He made sure to point out that the president passed a “longer, more difficult” version, and that administering it was “not driven by clinical concerns.”
“There’s no indication that he has any cognitive issues,” Jackson said, adding that Trump “is very articulate when he speaks to me.”
Later, he added that it was “impressive” that Trump “has a lot of energy and a lot of stamina,” and is “very sharp.”
As far as Trump’s basic health statistics, he is 75 inches tall, weighs 239 pounds, has 20/30 vision, and had “normal” results for his motor and cognitive functions, as well as “above average exercise capacity based on age and sex,” according to Jackson.
“In summary, the president’s overall health is excellent,” Jackson said. “All data indicates the president is healthy and will remain so for the duration of his presidency.”
Jackson said he suggested Trump should try to lose between 10 to 15 pounds over the next year, and recommended a healthier diet and “a dedicated, defined exercise program.”
“He would benefit from a diet that is lower in fat and carbohydrates,” Jackson said.
The results are in line with what Trump disclosed during his campaign, in notes from both his personal doctor and, for some reason, Dr. Oz. His personal physician, Dr. Harold Bornstein ― who once famously made the dubious claim that Trump would become “the healthiest individual ever elected to the presidency” ― reported in 2016 that Trump was 6-foot-3 and 236 pounds, took a statin to lower his cholesterol, and had no history of cancer or other major medical problems.
But Trump’s erratic behavior as president, and his age, leave many Americans wondering if he might be suffering from some sort of cognitive decline. Yale University psychiatry professor Bandy Lee, who has not personally evaluated Trump, told HuffPost that “we’re seeing signs of impairment in the sitting president ... [and] it’s been markedly getting worse.”
Trump last week fueled talk about his mental fitness, vehemently denying he has mental health issues and calling himself “a very stable genius.”
