Trump says he got a CT scan instead of an MRI

For weeks, President Donald Trump has said that he received an MRIat Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in October, but when asked about the procedure by the Wall Street Journal in an interview published Thursday, Trump and his doctor said that he actually got a CT scan instead.

"It wasn't an MRI," Trump told the Journal. "It was less than that. It was a scan."

Last month, Trump maintained that he got an MRI, telling reporters on Air Force One that he would "absolutely" release the results.

The White House has not specifically said why Trump received the scan. In November, Trump claimed the MRI was part of his yearly physical.

Trump's physician, Navy Capt. Sean Barbabella told the Journal that the president had received a CT scan -- not an MRI. Barbabella said Trump's doctors initially told him they would perform either an MRI or a CT scan.

Both magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and computed tomography (CT) scans are imaging methods used by health care professionals to look at organs and structures inside the body to help diagnose a variety of conditions. While an MRI scan uses a large magnet and radio waves to generate a picture, a CT scan uses X-rays.

White House physician says Trump's imaging test results were 'perfectly normal' in memo

On Dec. 1,the White House released the resultsof Trump's advanced imaging tests, describing them as "perfectly normal." Barbabella said then that the imaging helps confirm Trump's overall health and identifies any early issues before they become serious.

Barbabella told the Journal that the CT scan was done "to definitively rule out any cardiovascular issues" and showed no abnormalities.

Barbabella told ABC News in a statement on Thursday that the president remains "in exceptional health and perfectly suited to execute his duties as Commander in Chief."

In late October, Trump first said he had an MRI as part of the "advanced imaging" tests he received at Walter Reed.

"I got an MRI. It was perfect," Trump said at the time. "I mean, I gave you the full results. We had an MRI and the machine, you know, the whole thing, and it was perfect."

Trump remains in 'exceptional health,' doctor says after president's check-up at Walter Reed

Even though Trump said multiple times that he had received an MRI, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told ABC News on Thursday that Trump's "physicians and the White House have always maintained the president received advanced imaging."

Although the advanced imaging was taken as a preventative measure, according to the White House and Barbabella, Trump told the Wall Street Journal that he now regrets getting it done, saying in the interview that it's being used as "ammunition" against him.

"In retrospect, it's too bad I took it because it gave them a little ammunition. 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," Trump said.

In his Wall Street Journal interview, Trump said that the large dose of aspirin he takes daily has caused him to bruise easily, adding that he's refused his doctors' advice to take a lower dose, adding that he has taken that specific aspirin for 25 years.

"They say aspirin is good for thinning out the blood, and I don't want thick blood pouring through my heart," Trump said told the Wall Street Journal. "I want nice, thin blood pouring through my heart. Does that make sense?"

In the Wall Street Journal article, Trump pushed back against criticism that he has struggled to keep his eyes open during several White House events, appearing to fall asleep.

"I'll just close. It's very relaxing to me," Trump said to the Wall Street Journal about not falling asleep at White House events. "Sometimes they'll take a picture of me blinking, blinking, and they'll catch me with the blink."

One of the most notable recent examples of this occurred during Trump's Cabinet meeting in December and his November announcement to reduce the cost of weight-loss medication.

The Wall Street Journal reports that staff has counseled Trump to try to keep his eyes open during public events and that White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles has urged Cabinet members to shorten their presentations.

The Administrator for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Mehmet Oz, who was at the November event where Trump appeared to doze off, told the Journal he believes Trump became bored.

byVincento Seyarto

in

January 01, 2026

Trump says he got a CT scan instead of an MRI

For weeks, President Donald Trump has said that he received an MRIat Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Octo...

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Trump, in interview, defends his energy and health, offers new details on screening he underwent

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump defended his energy and health in an interview with The Wall Street Journal and disclosed that he had a CT scan, not an MRI scan, during an October examination about which he and the White House delayed offering details.

Trump, in the interview, said he regretted undergoing the advanced imaging on his heart and abdomen during an October visit to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center because it raised public questions about his health. His physician said in a memo the White House released in December that he had "advanced imaging" as a preventative screening for men his age.

Trumphad initially described it as an MRIbut said he didn't know what part of his body he had scanned. A CT scan is a quicker form of diagnostic imaging than an MRI but offers less detail about differences in tissue.

The president's doctor, Navy Capt. Sean Barbabella, said in a statement released Thursday by the White House that Trump underwent the exam in October because he planned to be at Walter Reed to meet people working there. Trump hadalready undergone an annual physical in April.

"President Trump agreed to meet with the staff and soldiers at Walter Reed Medical Hospital in October. In order to make the most of the President's time at the hospital, we recommended he undergo another routine physical evaluation to ensure continued optimal health," Barbabella said.

Barbabella said that 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."

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement Thursday that the president's doctors and the White House have "always maintained the President received advanced imaging" but said that "additional details on the imaging have been disclosed by the President himself" because he "has nothing to hide."

"In retrospect, it's too bad I took it because it gave them a little ammunition," Trump said in theinterview with The Wall Street Journalpublished Thursday. "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 79-year-old became the oldest person to take the oath of office when he was sworn in as president last year and has been sensitive to questions about his health, particularly as he has repeatedly questioned his predecessor Joe Biden's fitness for office.

Biden, who turned 82 in the last year of his presidency, was dogged the end of the his tenure and during his abandoned attempt to seek reelection over scrutiny of his age and mental acuity.

But questions have also swirled around Trump's health this year as he's been seen with bruising on the back of his right hand that has been conspicuous despite a slathering of makeup on top, along with noticeable swelling at his ankles.

The White House this summer said the president had been diagnosed withchronic venous insufficiency, a common condition among older adults. The condition happens when veins in the legs can't properly carry blood back to the heart and it pools in the lower legs.

In the interview, Trump said he briefly tried wearing compression socks to address the swelling but stopped because he didn't like them.

The bruising on Trump's hand, according to Leavitt, is from "frequent handshaking and the use of aspirin," which Trump takes regularly to reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke.

He said he takes more aspirin than his doctors recommend but said he has resisted taking less because he's been taking it for 25 years and said he is "a little superstitious." Trump takes 325 milligrams of aspirin daily, according to Barbabella.

"They say aspirin is good for thinning out the blood, and I don't want thick blood pouring through my heart," Trump said. "I want nice, thin blood pouring through my heart. Does that make sense?"

Trump, in the interview, denied he has fallen asleep during White House meetingswhen cameras have caught him with his eyes closed, instead insisting he was resting his eyes or blinking.

"I'll just close. It's very relaxing to me," he said. "Sometimes they'll take a picture of me blinking, blinking, and they'll catch me with the blink."

He said that he's never slept much at night,a habit he also described during his first term, and said he starts his day early in the White House residence before moving to the Oval Office around 10 a.m. and working until 7 p.m. or 8 p.m.

The president dismissed questions about his hearing, saying he only struggled to hear "when there's a lot of people talking," and said he has plenty of energy, which he credited to his genes.

"Genetics are very important," he said. "And I have very good genetics."

byVincento Seyarto

in

January 01, 2026

Trump, in interview, defends his energy and health, offers new details on screening he underwent

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump defended his energy and health in an interview with The Wall Street Journal and ...

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Coast Guard searches for 77-year-old woman who went overboard from cruise ship

The U.S. Coast Guard is searching for a 77-year-old woman who went overboard from a Holland America Line cruise ship.

The woman was a passenger on the Nieuw Statendam ship, which was roughly 40 miles northeast of Sabana, Cuba, when she went overboard on Thursday, the Coast Guard said.

The Coast Guard has deployed Cutter William Trump and an MH-60 helicopter to help with the search.

The ship departed from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on Saturday and was on a seven-day journey through the eastern Caribbean, according to Holland America Line.

"The captain and crew initiated search and rescue procedures and are searching the area working closely with the U.S. Coast Guard," the cruise line said in a statement. "Our family assistance team is supporting the guest's family, and our thoughts are with the guest's loved ones during this difficult time."

The ship was scheduled to dock at Key West, Florida, on Friday, but that stop was canceled because of the ongoing search, the cruise line said.

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byVincento Seyarto

in

January 01, 2026

Coast Guard searches for 77-year-old woman who went overboard from cruise ship

The U.S. Coast Guard is searching for a 77-year-old woman who went overboard from a Holland America Line cruise ship. ...

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Hear the music from New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani's swearing-in

A wide multicultural swath of New Yorkers voted MayorZohran Mamdaniinto office two months ago. So, it made sense that the music serenading those atMamdani's swearing-in and block party eventon Thursday, Jan. 1, was a diverse, mixed playlist of tunes.

New York-based disc jockey DJ mOma served as master of musical ceremony playing welcome music ahead of the inauguration and during a seven block-long street party.

"I'm just so happy and proud to be part of it," DJ mOma said in a post on Instagram. He spun a medley of world music, soul, hip-hop, R&B, and rap – so appropriate as Mamdani nearly a decade ago wasa rapper who went by Mr. Cardamom.

His set included an international selection of sounds including tracks ranging fromJennifer Lopez's2001 song "Play" to "Thari Mummy Ne Chawe Pawno Delhi Walo" by Bharatraj Masinia, a singer from India's Rajasthan region.

Jay-Z and Stevie Wonder got multiple plays in the set. Jay-Z tracks included "Beware," a remix of the 1998 song from the British-Indian recording artist Panjabi MC, itself a remix of an original song is performed by Indian bhangra singer Labh Janjua, and, of course, "Empire State of Mind," his duet with Alicia Keys. Also in the playlist: "As" and "Another Star," from Wonder's 1976 album "Songs in the Key of Life."

Popular hits fromBad Bunny("NUEVAYol") mixed with the seventies pop track "Dancing Queen" from ABBA. Walkup music continued during the swearing-in with snippets heard of "Everyday People" by Sly & the Family Stone and "This Must Be the Place (Naive Melody)" from Talking Heads.

Here's a playlist of welcome music played at the swearing-in of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani.

DJ mOma said he hadn't expected to play music for the event. But he got a call from the mayor and said it was a "huge honor."

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by dj mOma (@djmoma)

Mike Snider is a national trending news reporter for USA TODAY. You can follow him on Threads, Bluesky, X and email him atmikegsnider&@mikegsnider.bsky.social&@mikesnider& msnider@usatoday.com.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani's swearing-in music playlist

byVincento Seyarto

in

January 01, 2026

Hear the music from New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani's swearing-in

A wide multicultural swath of New Yorkers voted MayorZohran Mamdaniinto office two months ago. So, it made sense that the...

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Zohran Mamdani officially sworn in on a Quran full of symbolism

NEW YORK (AP) — Incoming MayorZohran Mamdanitook his midnight oath of office on a centuries-old Quran, marking the first time a mayor of New York City uses Islam's holy text to be sworn in and underscoring a series ofhistoric firstsfor the city.

The 34-year-old Democrat became mayor in along-closed subway stationbeneath City Hall, the first Muslim, first South Asian and first African-born person to hold that position.

These milestones — as well as the historical Quran — reflect the longstanding and vibrant Muslim residents of the nation's most populous city, according to a scholar who helped Mamdani's wife,Rama Duwaji, select one of the books.

Most of Mamdani's predecessors were sworn in on a Bible, although the oath to uphold the federal, state and city constitutions does not require the use of any religious text.

And while he has focused heavily on the issue of affordability during his campaign, Mamdani was outspoken about his Muslim faith. He frequently appeared at mosques across the five boroughs as hebuilt a base of supportthat included many first-time South Asian and Muslim voters.

A look at the three Qurans that Mamdani used

Two Qurans were to be used during the subway ceremony: his grandfather's Quran and a pocket-sized version that dates back to the late 18th or early 19th century. It is part of the collection at the New York Public Library's Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture.

That copy of the Quran symbolizes the diversity and reach of the city's Muslims, said Hiba Abid, the library's curator for Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies.

"It's a small Quran, but it brings together elements of faith and identity in New York City history," Abid said.

For a subsequent swearing-in ceremony at City Hall on the first day of the year, Mamdani will use both his grandfather's and grandmother's Qurans. The campaign hasn't offered more details on those heirlooms.

One Quran's long journey to Mamdani's hand

The manuscript was acquired by Arturo Schomburg, a Black Puerto Rican historian whose collection documented the global contributions of people of African descent. While it is unclear how Schomburg came into possession of the Quran, scholars believe it reflected his interest in the historical relationship between Islam and Black cultures in the United States and across Africa.

Unlike ornate religious manuscripts associated with royalty or elites, the copy of the Quran that Mamdani will use is modest in design. It has a deep red binding with a simple floral medallion and is written in black and red ink. The script is plain and readable, suggesting it was created for everyday use rather than ceremonial display.

Those features indicate the manuscript was intended for ordinary readers, Abid said, a quality she described as central to its meaning.

"The importance of this Quran lies not in luxury, but in accessibility," she said.

Because the manuscript is undated and unsigned, scholars relied on its binding and script to estimate when it was produced, placing it sometime in the late 18th or early 19th century during the Ottoman period in a region that includes what is now Syria, Lebanon, Israel, the Palestinian territories and Jordan.

Abid said the manuscript's journey to New York mirrors Mamdani's own layered background. Mamdani is a South Asian New Yorker who was born in Uganda, while Duwaji is American-Syrian.

Identity and controversy

The meteoric rise of a Muslim democratic socialist also brought a surge of Islamophobic rhetoric, amplified bynational attentionon the race.

In anemotional speechdays before the election, Mamdani said the hostility had only strengthened his resolve to be visible about his faith.

"I will not change who I am, how I eat, or the faith that I'm proud to call my own," he said. "I will no longer look for myself in the shadows. I will find myself in the light."

The decision to use a Quran has drawn fresh criticism from some conservatives. U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville of Alabama wrote on social media, "The enemy is inside the gates," in response to a news article about Mamdani's inauguration. The Council on American-Islamic Relations, a civil-rights group, has designated Tuberville as an anti-Muslim extremist based on past statements.

Such backlash is not new. In 2006,Keith Ellison, the first Muslim elected to Congress, faced condemnation from conservatives after he chose to use a Quran for his ceremonial oath.

Following the inauguration, the Quran will go on public display at the New York Public Library. Abid said she hopes attention surrounding the ceremony — whether supportive or critical — will prompt more people to explore the library's collections documenting Islamic life in New York, ranging from early 20th century Armenian and Arabic music recorded in the city to firsthand accounts of Islamophobia after the Sept. 11 attacks.

"This manuscript was meant to be used by ordinary readers when it was produced," Abid said. "Today it lives in a public library where anyone can encounter it."

Associated Press writers Jake Offenhartz in New York and Kim Chandler in Montgomery, Alabama, contributed.

byVincento Seyarto

in

January 01, 2026

Zohran Mamdani officially sworn in on a Quran full of symbolism

NEW YORK (AP) — Incoming MayorZohran Mamdanitook his midnight oath of office on a centuries-old Quran, marking the first ...

Read More

Trump, in interview, defends his energy and health, offers new details on screening he underwent

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump defended his energy and health in an interview with The Wall Street Journal and disclosed that he had a CT scan, not an MRI scan, during an October examination about which he and the White House delayed offering details.

Trump, in the interview, said he regretted undergoing the advanced imaging on his heart and abdomen during an October visit to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center because it raised public questions about his health. His physician said in a memo the White House released in December that he had "advanced imaging" as a preventative screening for men his age.

Trumphad initially described it as an MRIbut said he didn't know what part of his body he had scanned. A CT scan is a quicker form of diagnostic imaging than an MRI but offers less detail about differences in tissue.

The president's doctor, Navy Capt. Sean Barbabella, said in a statement released Thursday by the White House that Trump underwent the exam in October because he planned to be at Walter Reed to meet people working there. Trump hadalready undergone an annual physical in April.

"President Trump agreed to meet with the staff and soldiers at Walter Reed Medical Hospital in October. In order to make the most of the President's time at the hospital, we recommended he undergo another routine physical evaluation to ensure continued optimal health," Barbabella said.

Barbabella said that 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."

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement Thursday that the president's doctors and the White House have "always maintained the President received advanced imaging" but said that "additional details on the imaging have been disclosed by the President himself" because he "has nothing to hide."

"In retrospect, it's too bad I took it because it gave them a little ammunition," Trump said in theinterview with The Wall Street Journalpublished Thursday. "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 79-year-old became the oldest person to take the oath of office when he was sworn in as president last year and has been sensitive to questions about his health, particularly as he has repeatedly questioned his predecessor Joe Biden's fitness for office.

Biden, who turned 82 in the last year of his presidency, was dogged the end of the his tenure and during his abandoned attempt to seek reelection over scrutiny of his age and mental acuity.

But questions have also swirled around Trump's health this year as he's been seen with bruising on the back of his right hand that has been conspicuous despite a slathering of makeup on top, along with noticeable swelling at his ankles.

The White House this summer said the president had been diagnosed withchronic venous insufficiency, a common condition among older adults. The condition happens when veins in the legs can't properly carry blood back to the heart and it pools in the lower legs.

In the interview, Trump said he briefly tried wearing compression socks to address the swelling but stopped because he didn't like them.

The bruising on Trump's hand, according to Leavitt, is from "frequent handshaking and the use of aspirin," which Trump takes regularly to reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke.

He said he takes more aspirin than his doctors recommend but said he has resisted taking less because he's been taking it for 25 years and said he is "a little superstitious." Trump takes 325 milligrams of aspirin daily, according to Barbabella.

"They say aspirin is good for thinning out the blood, and I don't want thick blood pouring through my heart," Trump said. "I want nice, thin blood pouring through my heart. Does that make sense?"

Trump, in the interview, denied he has fallen asleep during White House meetingswhen cameras have caught him with his eyes closed, instead insisting he was resting his eyes or blinking.

"I'll just close. It's very relaxing to me," he said. "Sometimes they'll take a picture of me blinking, blinking, and they'll catch me with the blink."

He said that he's never slept much at night,a habit he also described during his first term, and said he starts his day early in the White House residence before moving to the Oval Office around 10 a.m. and working until 7 p.m. or 8 p.m.

The president dismissed questions about his hearing, saying he only struggled to hear "when there's a lot of people talking," and said he has plenty of energy, which he credited to his genes.

"Genetics are very important," he said. "And I have very good genetics."

byVincento Seyarto

in

January 01, 2026

Trump, in interview, defends his energy and health, offers new details on screening he underwent

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump defended his energy and health in an interview with The Wall Street Journal and ...

Read More

More than 2,000 measles cases reported in the US in 2025 as ongoing outbreaks threaten elimination status

The United States reported more than 2,000 measles cases in 2025, federal data shows, a higher annual total than the country has seen in decades.

Ongoing outbreaks — particularly in the upstate region ofSouth Carolinaand along the border between Arizona and Utah — continue to add dozens of cases each week, threatening the measles elimination status that the US has held for a quarter-century.

As of December 30, there have been 2,065 confirmed measles cases in the US in 2025, according todatapublished Wednesday by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The last time there were more than 2,000 cases reported in one year was in 1992, just a couple years after health leaders updated recommendations to say that children should get two doses of the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine instead of just one.

Measles is one of the most contagious diseases known, but the MMR vaccine offers highly effective protection. One dose is 93% effective against measles infection, and two doses are 97% effective,according to the CDC.

However, vaccination rates have been falling for years. For the 2024-25 school year, just 92.5% of incoming kindergarteners had received the MMR vaccine, CDCdatashows — below the 95% threshold that public health experts say is necessary to prevent outbreaks.

Measles has been considered eliminated in the US since 2000, meaning no outbreaks or other chains of transmission have lasted longer than a year. But multiple large outbreaks in 2025 may be connected, which puts the elimination status on the line if cases continue to grow through late January.

An outbreak centered in West Texas that started in late January wasdeclared overin mid-August. There were hundreds of related cases across Texas and New Mexico, and three unvaccinated people died: two children and one adult.

In early October, the South Carolina health department confirmed that there was a measles outbreak in the upstate region. That outbreak has spread to nearly 180 cases over the past four months and continues to grow; at least 20 new cases have been reported since Friday, and nearly 300 people are in quarantine because of exposure to a known case.

"We know that a large number of our cases are those who we've placed in quarantine because of known exposures," Dr. Linda Bell, South Carolina's state epidemiologist, said Tuesday. Measles continues to spread through household transmission, in schools and at churches, she said.

An outbreak on the Utah-Arizona line also continues to grow, with more than 350 cases reported between the two states in 2025.

In November, the Pan American Health Organization, part of the World Health Organization, determined thatCanada had lost its measles elimination statusamid a large ongoing outbreak there.

"It's important to say that all the other 34 countries in the region, they keep their certification as measles-free," PAHO Director Dr. Jarbas Barbosa said at the time.

But possible genetic links between the Texas outbreak and the ongoing South Carolina outbreak put that status at risk for the US.

"The trajectory that we're looking at now is that we do anticipate more cases well into January," Bell said. "What that means for us nationally in terms of how they are defining our designation in this country as having eliminated measles is unclear."

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byVincento Seyarto

in

January 01, 2026

More than 2,000 measles cases reported in the US in 2025 as ongoing outbreaks threaten elimination status

The United States reported more than 2,000 measles cases in 2025, federal data shows, a higher annual total than the country has seen in de...

Read More