White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham said it is “absolutely not” true that President Donald Trump’s visit to a doctor Saturday was anything other than a routine physical exam, maintaining that he is “healthy as can be.”
“Oh, the rumors are always flying,” Grisham said Saturday when asked during an interview with Fox News Channel host Jeanine Pirro whether there was any truth to the speculation that the visit was out of the ordinary. “Absolutely not. He is healthy as can be. I put a statement out about that. 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.”
Trump, 73, made a visit Saturday afternoon to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland. The trip came on a day when the president had no public events on his schedule.
Trump had his first annual physical as president in January 2018. His second was in February 2019. Trump’s doctors hailed his health as “excellent” and “very good” after those exams.
At the time of his last physical, Trump stood 6-foot-3 and weighed 243 pounds, according to a memorandum released by the White House. His weight was reported as 239 pounds during his first physical, and he was advised to watch his diet, exercise more and lose weight.
Trump mentioned his visit to Walter Reed in a tweet early Sunday.
“Visited a great family of a young man under major surgery at the amazing Walter Reed Medical Center,” he said. “Those are truly some of the best doctors anywhere in the world. Also began phase one of my yearly physical. Everything very good (great!). Will complete next year.”
In a statement Saturday, Grisham said Trump had undergone “a quick exam and labs” and “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 said Trump also “stopped by to say hello to the medical staff of Walter Reed, to share his thanks for all the outstanding care they provide to our Wounded Warriors, and wish them an early happy Thanksgiving.”
During the visit, Trump met with the family of a Special Forces soldier who had been injured in Afghanistan, she added.
Later, in her appearance on Fox News Channel, Grisham said Trump has “a really busy year ahead” so he “decided to go to Walter Reed and kind of get a head start with some routine checkups as part of his annual exam.”
“That’s all it was. It was very routine. We had a down day today. And so, he made the decision to head there,” she said.
As she wrapped up the interview, Pirro described Trump as “almost superhuman,” adding, “I don’t know how anyone can deal with what he’s dealing with” in Washington.
Washington Post writer Toluse Olorunnipa contributed to this report.