Cheney physician flags 'severe illness' Trump seems to have: 'It's a real problem'

A physician expressed serious concerns about President Donald Trump's physical and mental health ahead of his third medical checkup in in 13 months.

Trump, the oldest president to ever be inaugurated, turns 80 next month, and Dr. Jonathan Reiner told "CNN News Central" that he has grave concerns about some specific medical issues that have slipped into public view as the president goes to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center for a scheduled medical and dental checkup.

"The president and his teamare not legally required torelease information to Congressor the public, and I think thatreally should change," Reiner said. "There areso many roles in our societythat require annual assessmentsof physical capacity. You know, pilots, Secret Serviceagents, school bus drivers, andfor the chief executive of thiscountry and the commander inchief of our armed forces, weshould have a clearunderstanding that the presidentis fit for duty."

The White House has offered little information about the president's health, despite some visible symptoms of apparent age-related health issues.

"I do want tosee this during thisexamination a credibleexplanation for his visiblehealth concerns," Reiner said. "His bruising, which initially was described asdue to vigorous hand shaking,which is not credible, [and] hissevere edema in his ankles,which was described as, youknow, chronic venousinsufficiency when just threemonths before, one year ago, hewas his examination disclosedthat he had no edema, whichwould then make it acute acute venous insufficiency,which is an entirely differentthing."

Trump frequently posts on social media late into the night or early in the morning, and Reiner said that's indicative of sleep issues that are deeply concerning.

"Thepresident has severe daytimesomnolence," Reiner said. "He falls asleep veryoften. He's fallen asleep in the Oval Office on multipleoccasions with people talking tohim in the Cabinet Room, and wasconcerned yesterday that hemight have fallen asleep at Arlington National Cemeteryduring Memorial Day observances,and chronic insomnia is asevere illness. It can result inan increase in risk of dementia,decrease in cognitive effects inolder people.

"It's equivalent toabout increasing your age by about three and a half years," the physician added. "Itincreases your cardiac risk ofhaving a heart attack ordeveloping congestive heartfailure, and it canproduce a decline in your sort of mental functions,like it can increase depression,anxiety, so it's areal problem, and the presidentappears to struggle to stayawake during the day, and I'dlike to hear what the White House has done to evaluate whythe president has this increaseddaytime somnolence and whatthey're doing to improve that."

Reiner, a cardiologist and CNN medical analyst who served as Vice President Dick Cheney's personal heart doctor for more than a decade, has become one of the most prominent medical voices publicly questioning Trump's own fitness for office.

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