Cardiologist Dr. Jonathan Reiner, who served as former Vice President Dick Cheney’s personal physician for 27 years, published a scathing op-ed in The New York Times on August 12, 2026, challenging the White House’s assertions about Trump’s health and calling for greater transparency about the president’s visible medical concerns.
In the piece titled “I Was Dick Cheney’s Cardiologist. Trump Has Not Looked Well, and We Should Know Why,” Reiner pointed to bruising on Trump’s hands, swelling in his legs, and episodes where the president appeared to struggle to stay awake during public events. Reiner wrote that despite reassurances from the White House, “at times over the past year, the president has not looked well.”
The White House responded swiftly on August 13 with an expletive-filled statement attacking Reiner’s credibility. According to CNN’s report, the statement called Reiner “an ass-hat engaging in armchair diagnosis for political purposes” and claimed he was “a disgrace to the medical profession.” The White House asserted that Trump is “the sharpest, most accessible, and energetic president in American history.”
Reiner, a professor of medicine and surgery at George Washington University Hospital and a CNN medical analyst, pushed back on the accusation of making diagnoses. “I haven’t made any diagnoses,” he said on Thursday. “I simply ask questions.” He noted that the White House itself had awarded him a certificate recognizing his service to the White House Biomedical Unit in the previous year.
The controversy centers on a gap between the White House’s public health assessments and visible physical signs. In May 2026, White House Physician Dr. Sean Barbabella released a medical report declaring Trump in “excellent health” following a comprehensive examination that included CT scans, heart imaging, and cancer screenings involving 22 medical specialists. The report recommended that Trump lose weight and exercise more but found no serious conditions.
However, Trump was diagnosed with chronic venous insufficiency in July 2025, a circulatory condition affecting blood flow in the legs that commonly causes swelling. The White House attributed the visible bruising on Trump’s hands to daily aspirin use and handshakes. Reiner’s op-ed raises questions about whether the public is receiving complete information about the president’s health status, particularly regarding the reasons for advanced imaging and the significance of visible physical symptoms.
Presidential health transparency has historically varied by administration. There is no formal law requiring presidents to publicly release their full medical records; instead, they typically choose what health information to disclose. Reiner argues that Americans deserve more candid information about their leader’s fitness for office, particularly given that Trump is 80 years old and the oldest inaugurated president in U.S. history.
Sources
- Mediaite — White House statement attacking Reiner, CNN’s reading of the statement
- The New York Times — Reiner’s op-ed and his quoted remarks about visible health concerns
- Cardiovascular Business — Details of Reiner’s editorial and his background as Cheney’s cardiologist
- CNBC — White House physician Dr. Barbabella’s May 2026 medical report declaring Trump in excellent health
- The Hill — Reiner’s statements about Trump’s appearance and the lack of transparency
- BBC News — Trump’s chronic venous insufficiency diagnosis and its causes
- DC News Now — Context on presidential health transparency and the absence of formal legal requirements
