Dr Jonathan Reiner used a New York Times essay to press for answers about Donald Trump’s health and question the president’s reported leg swelling. He said the public deserves answers and said he would want seven specific issues addressed if a panel evaluated the POTUS.
Reiner pointed to 22 consultants who examined Trump, bruising visible on his hands, apparent struggles to remain alert, previous medical examinations, alleged use of finasteride and cognitive assessments. He also asked why Dr Sean Barbabella’s physical report noted no swelling while attributing swelling in the president’s legs to chronic venous insufficiency.
Dr Sean Barbabella and CVI
Barbabella said Trump is in excellent health and possesses strong cardiac, pulmonary, neurological and overall physical function. He attributed swelling in the president’s legs to chronic venous insufficiency, a condition that can produce persistent swelling rather than a short-lived change.
Reiner drew a different inference from the same report. He said that if there was no swelling, it would suggest an acute, not chronic, issue and could point to problems such as heart or kidney disease.
Sarah Ewall-Wice on the ankles
Sarah Ewall-Wice said she and others started observing Trump’s ankles last summer while he was travelling. “So we started observing this last summer. He was travelling, and his ankles were just massive tree trunks. And they were... clearly something was wrong there.”
She also said Trump “looked like he was in pain” and that the administration was “not adding up.” Joanna Coles said they sometimes see Trump with the swollen ankles and sometimes do not, and she described the model in the Oval Office as “strategically positioned.”
The immediate question now sits in public view: whether the same health record can support both a blanket statement of “excellent health” and a report that leaves key findings unaligned. Reiner’s essay forces the issue back onto the record, and the dispute over swelling, alertness and prior examinations is now part of it.
