Trump’s doctor issues letter addressing ‘speculation’ about visit to Walter Reed

The White House on Monday released a note from President Trump’s physician seeking to dispel speculation about his physical state after he made an unannounced trip to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center for exams over the weekend.

“Despite some of the speculation, the President has not had any chest pain, nor was he evaluated or treated for any urgent or acute issues,” Navy Cmdr. Sean Conley, physician to the president, said in a letter released by the White House.

The visit was part of “a routine, planned interim checkup,” Conley said. Trump did not undergo any specialized heart or neurological evaluations during his roughly three hour stop at the medical center.

Memorandum from the President’s Physician pic.twitter.com/yzkjqCBBHc

— Stephanie Grisham (@PressSec) November 19, 2019

Trump on Saturday visited Walter Reed for what the White House called “portions” of his annual physical exam. Press secretary Stephanie Grisham said at the time that Trump underwent labs and “a quick exam” and was feeling fine.

But the unannounced nature of the visit led to online chatter about whether Trump was dealing with an undisclosed illness or other issue. Trump did not make any public appearances on Sunday or Monday, further fueling discussion on social media.

{mosads}Conley did not disclose many specifics about Trump’s evaluations, instead describing the visit broadly as part of preventative care. He wrote that the trip remained off the record due to “scheduling uncertainties.”

Trump will undergo a more thorough exam in 2020, Conley said, and the results of his labs from Saturday will be included in a report then.

The doctor did note that the president’s cholesterol was 165 mg/dL, down from 196 during his most recent physical exam in February. The decrease came after Trump’s daily dosage of the drug rosuvastatin, which is used to treat high cholesterol, was increased to 40 milligrams daily in February.