President Trump will undergo a medical and dental evaluation at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center later this month, the White House announced late Monday.
The evaluation, which is scheduled for May 26, will include “routine annual dental and medical assessments as part of his regular preventive health care.” The president will also spend time with service members and staff of Walter Reed “in recognition of their service, professionalism and dedication to the nation.”
Questions have surrounded Mr. Trump’s health since he returned to the White House. Mr. Trump’s last reported annual physical took place in April 2025. His physician, Navy Cpt. Sean Barbabella declared him to be in exceptional health and fully fit to execute the duties of commander in chief. The report also said Mr. Trump achieved a perfect score on a cognitive assessment.
However, Mr. Trump, 79, raised fresh questions about his health in October when he underwent a rare follow-up evaluation at the same location. The White House described the follow-up visit as a routine yearly check-up.
Those questions persisted after Mr. Trump revealed that month that he underwent an MRI scan. Neither the White House nor Mr. Trump immediately said which part of the body was examined or what the doctors were looking for.
An Oct. 13 letter written by Mr. Trump’s doctor did not mention specifically an MRI scan. It said the president underwent “advanced imaging tests” and “laboratory testing.” The letter declared Mr. Trump was in “excellent overall health.”
After nearly two months of demands for transparency, the White House released a memo from Mr. Trump’s doctor in December saying the president had an MRI of his heart and abdomen in October as part of a preventive screening for men his age. The statement said the advanced imaging procedure is “standard for an executive physical” in Mr. Trump’s age group.
Dr. Barbabella said the cardiovascular and abdominal imaging was “perfectly normal.”
“The purpose of this imaging is preventative: to identify issues early, confirm overall health and ensure he maintains long-term vitality and function,” the doctor wrote.
In July, Mr. Trump received a diagnosis of chronic venous insufficiency. It’s a condition in which the valves inside certain veins don’t function correctly, allowing blood to accumulate. He also has had bruising on his right hand that he has sought to cover up with makeup. Officials have said the bruising is because he shakes so many hands.
For weeks after Mr. Trump’s impromptu disclosure to reporters about the MRI, the White House offered few details on why doctors thought the procedure was necessary. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in December that the MRI, which stands for magnetic resonance imaging, was a “routine” part of his physical exam.
“President Trump received advanced imaging as part of his routine physical exam. The results were reviewed by the attending radiologists and consultants, and they all agreed President Trump remains in exceptional physical health,” Ms. Leavitt said.
For nearly all Americans, an MRI is not part of a routine annual physical exam. It is also somewhat unusual for a president to undergo a second physical exam in a year, especially since Mr. Trump underwent a physical exam in April, just six months earlier.
A September 2025 YouGov survey found that nearly two-thirds of Americans believe the president’s age and health are affecting his ability to govern, while 49% said he is experiencing a cognitive and physical decline.
House Democrats last month sent a letter to Dr. Barbabella requesting he release the full evaluation of Mr. Trump’s cognitive abilities. They argued that Mr. Trump’s words and actions in recent months, particularly his rhetoric surrounding the Iran war, have raised enough questions for the public disclosure of a ‘“comprehensive cognitive assessment.”
“Experts have repeatedly warned that the President has been exhibiting signs consistent with dementia and cognitive decline. And, in recent days, the country has watched President Trump’s public statements and outbursts turn increasingly incoherent, volatile, profane, deranged, and threatening,” wrote Jamie Raskin, Maryland Democrat and the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee.
“His apparently deteriorating condition has caused tremendous alarm across the nation (and political spectrum) about the President’s cognitive function and continuing mental fitness for the office of President, and prompted concerns about the President’s wellbeing,” Mr. Raskin wrote.
The White House at the time fired back, saying Mr. Trump remains sharp and accused Democrats of hiding President Biden’s mental decline.
“Lightweight Jamie Raskin is a stupid person’s idea of a smart person,” the White House said in a statement at the time. “President Trump’s sharpness, unmatched energy, and historic accessibility stand in stark contrast to what we saw during the past four years when Democrats like Raskin intentionally covered up Joe Biden’s serious mental and physical decline from the American people.”
