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 published Thursday, 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 a man his age.
Trump had initially described it as an MRI but 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 had already 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 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 the interview with The Wall Street Journal. “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 by scrutiny of his age and mental acuity at the end of his tenure and during his abandoned attempt to seek reelection.
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 with chronic 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 meetings when 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.”
President Donald Trump closes his eyes during a joint news conference with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy following a meeting at his Mar-a-Lago club, Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025, in Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
President Donald Trump speaks during a news conference with Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at Mar-a-Lago, Monday, Dec. 29, 2025, in Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) — Rory McIlroy might have set the tone for the 90th edition of the Masters shortly after he finally won that coveted green jacket. “What are we all going to talk about next year?” he said.
Next year arrives on April 9, and McIlroy will be relieved of questions that constantly dogged him about when he was ever going to conquer Augusta National. Now that burden falls to the 73 players in the field who have yet to win.
Scottie Scheffler remains the betting favorite because he already has won the Masters twice and he has been No. 1 in the world for nearly three straight years. He won in his season debut and has gone quiet by his standards the last month.
Bryson DeChambeau has won his last two tournaments on Saudi-funded LIV Golf, with a 57-man field and limited supply of stars in their prime. The two-time U.S. Open champion played in the final group with McIlroy last year.
Amid what seems like constant change in golf, the Masters brings a degree of normalcy as golf's rite of spring and for many, the true opening week of the sport.
Here is a look at what you need to know leading up to the Masters.
The Masters is April 9-12, keeping its traditional spot on the calendar the first full week in April. Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player and Tom Watson again are scheduled to hit the ceremonial tee shots about 7:30 a.m. before Thursday's opening round.
The Par 3 Contest is on Wednesday, April 8, created in 1960 to replace what previously was a clinic the golfers performed. Now it's become a showcase for Masters players young and old, and caddies who are mostly young — the children of players.
The field currently is 91 players, keeping with another Masters tradition. Augusta National prefers fewer than 100 players in the field, and it's been that way dating to 1967.
Tiger Woods will miss the Masters for the second straight year. He already was struggling to get his legs in shape for the tournament when he was arrested March 27 in Florida on a driving while intoxicated charge. No alcohol was found in his system, but drug experts determined he was impaired and Woods was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence.
Woods entered a plea of not guilty Tuesday, and then issued a statement that he was taking an indefinite leave to seek treatment. A Florida judge granted a motion for Woods to seek help at an inpatient facility outside the country.
Phil Mickelson is not playing the Masters for only the third time as a pro. Mickelson says his family is navigating through a personal health matter. He already has missed four of five LIV Golf events because of the situation.
It's the first time since 1994 neither Mickelson nor Tiger Woods are at Augusta National. Back then, Woods was a senior in high school who had yet to become eligible. Mickelson broke a bone in his left leg skiing a few months before the Masters.
The best female amateurs in the world are the first to take the stage. The final round of the Augusta National Women’s Amateur is Saturday at the home of the Masters, after two rounds determined a 36-hole cut at Champions Retreat.
The options are practically limitless. Thursday and Friday rounds start at 1 p.m. ET on Prime Video, the latest broadcast partner for Augusta National. ESPN will take over at 3 p.m. on the weekday rounds through 7:30 p.m. Then on the weekend, Paramount+ will get started at noon, and CBS will carry live tournament coverage from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m.
But that's not all.
The Master is offering live video channels on https://www.masters.com/en_US/index.html with a menu that includes featured pairings; live action from the fourth, fifth and sixth holes; Amen Corner (Nos. 11-13); the 15th and 16th holes. Prime Video will have a stats-enhanced stream on Amen Corner.
Other than the blooms peaking a little early, not really. Players long have suspected tweaks here and there without saying so. All that's known is the front of the 17th tee was reduced by 12 yards and the tee marker was relocated to make the scorecard show 450 yards (up from 440 yards).
The buzz is the new Player Services Building located behind the driving range, a three-level structure with an indoor parking garage beneath the members range. It has a gym and recovery room on one level, an enormous locker room on the second level and dining for players, family and support staff on the third level.
And for those who manage to get a ticket, the Masters has a new candy bar in its concession. The name of it: Candy Bar.
Scheffler is the betting favorite, according to BetMGM Sportsbook, which lists the world's No. 1 player at +500. He is followed by McIlroy and DeChambeau (+1000), former Masters champion Jon Rahm (+1200), and then Ludvig Aberg and Xander Schauffele (+1400).
In what ranks among the greatest Masters ever, Rory McIlroy lost a four-shot lead on the back nine, regained the lead, lost it again and wound up in a playoff with Justin Rose. McIlroy won on the first extra hole with a gap wedge to 3 feet for birdie, making him the six player to capture the career Grand Slam.
The most interesting of the 22 newcomers is Chris Gotterup. He's only the third player since World War II to win four times before he plays in his first Masters. Gotterup first qualified by winning the Scottish Open. He won the Sony Open and Phoenix Open earlier this year.
Three players from the top 20 in the world are making their debut — Ben Griffin, who played in his first Ryder Cup last September, and Riviera winner Jacob Bridgeman, who went to nearby Clemson.
Also playing are Kristoffer Reitan of Norway and Rasmus Neergaard-Peterson of Denmark, part of a record eight players from Nordic countries.
AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf
FILE - Scottie Scheffler puts the green Jacket on winner, Rory McIlroy, of Northern Ireland, at the Masters golf tournament, April 13, 2025, in Augusta, Ga. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis, File)
FILE - Dogwood flowers frame the clubhouse during a practice round for the Masters golf tournament on April 5, 2021, in Augusta, Ga. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip, File)
FILE - The Augusta National clubhouse during a practice round at the Masters golf tournament in Augusta, Ga., April 7, 2010. (AP Photo/Rob Carr, File)
