According to MedPage Today's account of a Wall Street Journal report, President Donald Trump's physician, Sean Barbabella, DO, must always be within three minutes of the president. At age 80, Trump is the oldest president in history, and the proximity requirement means Barbabella or another doctor must be ready to respond quickly at all times.
Barbabella is among a small group of officials with complete knowledge of Trump's health and one of a handful responsible for what the public is told about it. Critics have noted that recent reports use superlatives such as "excellent" or "exceptional" health while leaving out key metrics. Trump's first-term physician, Ronny Jackson, DO, released ejection fraction and stress echocardiogram results, but Barbabella has characterized cardiology results as normal without including the underlying data. The White House has defended the reports, saying they are not meant to be a comprehensive document with every treatment detail.
Barbabella is a Navy veteran and former emergency physician who served in Afghanistan. Jackson told the Journal that Trump asked him to recommend medical staff for his second term, saying he wanted someone he knew and trusted. Colleagues describe Barbabella as low-key, direct, and "ice cold under pressure," with one saying the president needs someone who "doesn't miss a thing."