Trump: Yes, I Had an MRI, and 'It Was Perfect'

President Trump revealed a previously undisclosed detail about his visit to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center earlier this month: He had an MRI scan. The memo that had been released by White House physician Capt. Sean Barbabella after the visit referred to "advanced imaging," but the White House hadn't clarified the type.

• "I did, I got an MRI, it was perfect," Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One, reports USA Today. The president didn't elaborate on why he needed the scan or offer further details about it, telling journalists to "ask the doctors," per CNN.

• MRI scans—short for magnetic resonance imaging—provide doctors with a noninvasive way to obtain images of the inside of a patient's body, per the New York Times. They are "typically used to assess tumors, joint injuries, or heart conditions," per the New Republic.
• Though Axios notes the visit was his second since January, the 79-year-old Trump downplayed any questions about his health. "Nobody has ever given you (health) reports like I gave you," Trump said. "The doctors said some of the best reports for the age, some of the best reports they've ever seen."
• Trump was diagnosed in July with chronic venous insufficiency, a condition in which damaged leg veins struggle to manage blood flow—it's why he is sometimes seen with swollen ankles. The president also has been spotted with bruising on his right hand, which his doctor attributed to a combination of frequent handshaking and the use of aspirin, which raises the risk of bruising, per CNN.

During his chat with reporters, Trump declined to rule out the possibility of a third term.