What we learned from Donald Trump's wide-ranging health interview
US President Donald Trump says he regrets undergoing advanced imagery on his heart and abdomen because of the "ammunition" it handed his critics, but has once more defended his "perfect" health.
Donald Trump says he regrets undergoing advanced imagery on his heart and abdomen because of the "ammunition" it handed his critics, but has once more defended his "perfect" health.
In a wide-ranging interview about his fitness with the Wall Street Journal, it was confirmed the US president underwent a Computed Tomography (CT) scan last October — not an Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scan as previously described.
"In retrospect, it's too bad I took it because it gave them a little ammunition," Mr Trump told the outlet.
"I would have been a lot better off if they didn't because the fact that I took it said, 'Oh gee, is something wrong?' Well, nothing's wrong."
The status of Mr Trump's health has gained more attention with his return to the White House.
At 79, he became the oldest person to take the oath of office when he was sworn in last year, and in his bid for re-election he repeatedly questioned 82-year-old Joe Biden's fitness for office.
Here is everything the US president said about his health.
Trump had an CT scan, not an MRI
Last October, Mr Trump's doctor, Sean Barbabella, said the president was in "exceptional health" following a visit to the Walter Reed Medical Center.
Mr Trump later remarked how he underwent an MRI scan, prompting questions around the purpose of the screening.
"I have no idea what they analysed," Mr Trump told reporters on Air Force One in November.
"But whatever they analysed, they analysed it well, and they said that I had as good a result as they've ever seen."
Donald Trump previously said he had an MRI but had "no idea" what doctors analysed. (Reuters: Anna Rose Layden)
But in the Wall Street Journal interview, it was clarified Mr Trump received a CT scan instead.
"It wasn't an MRI," Mr Trump said.
"It was less than that. It was a scan."
Dr Barbabella confirmed to the outlet that Mr Trump received a CT scan.
He said he asked the president to undergo either a CT scan or MRI "to definitively rule out any cardiovascular issues" and the results were "perfectly normal and revealed absolutely no abnormalities".
A CT scan is a quicker form of diagnostic imaging than an MRI but offers less detail about differences in tissue.