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 A new best-selling book portrays Trump, 71, as unfocused and
childlike. The White House has faced a barrage of questions over his
contradictory messages on key policies and an incident last month
where he slurred some words while giving a speech.
Trump, who has been openly exasperated with the coverage, told
reporters on Thursday he expected his exam would go well. "It better
go well, otherwise the stock market will not be happy," Trump said
with a smile.
The White House will determine what data will be released from the
exam, which will take place at the Walter Reed National Military
Medical Center in nearby Bethesda, Maryland.
Trump is not compelled to release any information, though the White
House said the presidential physician, Ronny Jackson, will provide a
statement on Friday and take questions from reporters on Tuesday.
There is no set template for the presidential exam. Past presidents
are not known to have been tested for mental acuity while in office
- including Ronald Reagan, who five years after leaving the White
House was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease.
Trump's examination will not include a psychiatric exam, a White
House spokesman said this week. Results of past presidential
physicals have included basic data like weight, blood pressure and
cholesterol levels.
There is a long history of the White House picking and choosing what
to reveal about the commander in chief's health, said Barbara Perry,
director of presidential studies at the University of Virginia’s
Miller Center.
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For example, John F. Kennedy disclosed war injuries but not the fact
that he suffered from Addison's disease, a degenerative condition.
Perry said she believes presidents should be subject to a raft of
tests to establish they are fit to serve.
When he was running for office, Trump released a glowing report from
his personal physician in New York, who said Trump would be "the
healthiest individual ever elected to the presidency."
The public report from Trump's upcoming exam is also likely to be
short and sweet, said George Annas, head of the Center for Health
Law, Ethics and Human Rights at Boston University School of Public
Health.
"I don’t think you could expect to see anything else, unless it’s
something that makes him look good," Annas said.
(Reporting by Roberta Rampton; Editing by Jonathan Oatis)
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