Donald Trump in excellent health - White House doctor
Donald Trump is in "excellent health", his White House doctor has announced after he underwent his first medical check-up since becoming US president.
Ronny Jackson said in a brief statement that Friday's three-hour examination of the 71-year-old, conducted by military doctors, had gone "exceptionally well". He promised further details on Tuesday. No psychiatric tests were planned but a recent controversial book fuelled speculation about the president's mental health. According to Michael Wolff, author of Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House, all his White House aides see him as a "child" who needs "immediate gratification". Mr Trump responded by saying Wolff's book was "full of lies", while Secretary of State Rex Tillerson dismissed suggestions the president's mental health was failing. Friday's announcement echoed the words of Mr Trump's own long-time doctor, Harold Bornstein, in a pre-election assessment in December 2015, when he declared his client would be the "healthiest individual ever elected to the presidency". Who carried out the latest check-up? Doctors assessed Mr Trump on Friday at the Walter Reed Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland, Among them was Dr Jackson, whose official title is Physician to the President. A rear admiral in the US Navy, he also tended to Mr Trump's predecessor, Barack Obama. What else might we learn? In the run-up to Friday's check-up, the White House made clear that it would focus on his physical health. It is up to the White House what data, if any, it reveals about Mr Trump's condition. It has a long history of picking and choosing what to reveal about its occupant's health, Barbara Perry, director of presidential studies at the University of Virginia's Miller Center, was quoted as saying by Reuters news agency. John F Kennedy (1917-63), she pointed out, disclosed war injuries but not the fact that he suffered from Addison's disease, a degenerative condition. How can Mr Trump be this healthy? Experts have been baffled by the capacity of the overweight leader to consume large amounts of fast food and appear to take minimal exercise, while staying fit. A recent book claimed Mr Trump had "four major food groups" during his campaign, which were McDonald's, fried chicken, pizza, and Diet Coke. Co-authored by Corey Lewandowski, his former campaign manager, the "Let Trump Be Trump" book said the president could eat "two Big Macs, two Filet-O-Fish, and a chocolate malted (milkshake)" for dinner. Sara Kayat, a doctor from London, told BBC News before the check-up that his diet sounded "awful". He did benefit from not smoking or drinking, she pointed out, but exercise was vital. "Physical inactivity poses almost as much of a heart disease risk as smoking," she added. "It's the kind of thing people overlook, but it shouldn't be."