5 Critical Days: Inside Donald Trump's Hospital Stays, The COVID-19 Treatment Cocktail, And The Unscheduled MRI Scrutiny

As of December 10, 2025, the health of former President Donald J. Trump remains a topic of intense public and political scrutiny, a pattern established during his time in office. While his most famous hospitalization was the three-night stay in 2020 for COVID-19, a comprehensive look at his medical history reveals a recurring theme: unscheduled visits to the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center that consistently fueled rumors and questions about the transparency of the health of a major political figure. This article provides an in-depth, chronological examination of the former President's most critical and controversial hospital visits, detailing the high-stakes treatments he received and the public relations controversies that followed each event.

Donald Trump: A Brief Biography and Key Medical Events

The health status of a sitting or former U.S. President is always a matter of national security and public interest. Donald Trump's medical profile has been defined by two main periods of intense scrutiny: the 2020 COVID-19 diagnosis and earlier, less-publicized, unscheduled hospital trips.

• Full Name: Donald John Trump
• Born: June 14, 1946 (Age 79 as of mid-2025)
• Place of Birth: Queens, New York, U.S.
• Political Office: 45th President of the United States (2017–2021)
• Primary Physician (during Presidency): Dr. Sean Conley
• Key Hospitalization (2020): Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, for COVID-19.
• Key Controversial Visits: Unscheduled visit in November 2019 and a later checkup involving an MRI.
• Reported Health Status: Typically described by his physicians as being in "excellent health," despite being classified as clinically obese.

The High-Stakes 2020 COVID-19 Hospitalization: The Therapeutic 'Cocktail'

The most consequential and widely documented "Trump in hospital" event occurred in October 2020, just weeks before the Presidential election. On October 2, after testing positive for COVID-19, President Trump was transported to the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland, for what was described as a "precautionary" stay. This hospitalization, however, quickly revealed a more serious situation than initially reported by the White House.

A Dangerous Drop in Oxygen and Aggressive Treatment

During his three-night stay, the President's medical team, led by Dr. Sean Conley, administered an aggressive and experimental therapeutic regimen. The severity of his illness was underscored by the fact that he experienced two distinct drops in his oxygen saturation levels, prompting the use of a powerful, multi-drug cocktail.

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The treatments administered included:

• Regeneron's Monoclonal Antibody Cocktail (REGN-COV2): This experimental antibody therapy was administered early in the course of his illness. The use of an experimental drug highlighted the urgency of his condition.
• Remdesivir (Veklury): An antiviral drug that had shown promise in shortening the recovery time for hospitalized COVID-19 patients. Trump received a five-day course of the drug.
• Dexamethasone: A potent corticosteroid. The use of Dexamethasone was particularly concerning to medical experts, as it is typically reserved for patients with severe or critical COVID-19 who require supplemental oxygen. Its inclusion in his treatment plan strongly suggested a more serious infection than the White House had publicly acknowledged.

The combination of these powerful drugs—a monoclonal antibody, an antiviral, and a steroid—indicated a patient who was seriously ill and at high risk for complications, directly contradicting the White House's initial public narrative of mild symptoms.

The Battle for Transparency and Dr. Conley's Contradictions

The 2020 hospitalization became a flashpoint for a broader debate about presidential medical transparency. Dr. Sean Conley's public statements were often confusing and, at times, contradictory.

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On one occasion, Dr. Conley stated that the President was "72 hours into this diagnosis," which was later corrected to "Day 3," an error that fueled media speculation that the White House was deliberately obscuring the timeline and severity of the illness. The President's brief, maskless motorcade outside Walter Reed during his stay was also heavily criticized as a reckless political stunt that endangered Secret Service personnel. Upon his return to the White House, Trump famously removed his mask for a photo opportunity, further downplaying the virus's threat.

The Recurring Pattern: Unscheduled Visits and the Mysterious MRI

While the 2020 COVID-19 stay was the most dramatic, it was not the only hospital visit to raise questions. A pattern of unscheduled, last-minute trips to Walter Reed created a persistent narrative of secrecy surrounding his health.

The November 2019 Unscheduled Visit

In November 2019, President Trump made an unexpected Saturday trip to Walter Reed that was not on his public schedule. The White House initially dismissed the visit as a "quick exam and labs" as part of his annual physical, but the sudden nature and lack of prior announcement were unusual for a sitting President.

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Subsequent reports and memoirs, including one by former Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham, later suggested the visit may have been for a routine colonoscopy, a procedure that would typically require the transfer of power to the Vice President under the 25th Amendment. The fact that the procedure was allegedly kept secret, and that Vice President Mike Pence was reportedly told to be "on standby," intensified the political firestorm over medical disclosure.

The Recent Scrutiny: Cardiovascular Tests and the MRI

More recently, routine physicals, sometimes scheduled just six months after the last one, continued to draw scrutiny. In one such visit, Donald Trump confirmed that he underwent an MRI scan (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) during his checkup at Walter Reed.

While his physician, Navy Capt. Sean Barbabella, consistently issued statements affirming the President was in "excellent health," the revelation of the MRI—a scan used to examine the brain, spine, or heart—prompted a fresh wave of speculation. Critics argued that a "routine checkup" would not typically include an MRI without a specific medical indication, leading to fresh questions about why the scan was performed and why the results were not disclosed in greater detail. This recurring lack of comprehensive medical transparency has become a signature element of the public's understanding of "Trump in hospital" events, ensuring his health remains a front-page issue.