Washington - A letter from Donald Trump's
New York physician released by his campaign in 2015 declaring he
would be "the healthiest individual ever elected to the
presidency" was composed by the candidate himself, the doctor
said on Tuesday.
"He dictated that whole letter. I didn't write that letter,"
Harold Bornstein told CNN.
Bornstein was not immediately available to comment, but in a
subsequent interview with NBC News he confirmed the account.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for
comment from Reuters.
"Mr. Trump has had a recent complete medical examination
that showed only positive results," said the letter signed by
Bornstein, who said he had treated Trump since 1980.
"Actually, his blood pressure, 110/65, and laboratory
results were astonishingly excellent. His physical strength and
stamina are extraordinary," the letter said. "If elected, Mr.
Trump, I can state unequivocally, will be the healthiest
individual ever elected to the presidency."
Bornstein told NBC News the characterization of "healthiest"
was "black humor."
Trump read out the language as Bornstein and his wife were
driving across Central Park, the doctor told CNN. The campaign
released the letter in December 2015.
"(Trump) dictated the letter and I would tell him what he
couldn't put in there," he said.
Bornstein had previously said he had written the letter in a
rush while seeing other patients.
His latest version of the letter's origins follows his
accusation that Trump's ex-bodyguard Keith Schiller raided his
office while retrieving Trump's medical records after he was
elected president.
White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders told reporters on
Tuesday that the records were retrieved as part of "standard
operating procedure."
"As is standard operating procedure for a new president, the
White House Medical Unit took possession of the president's
medical records," she told a regular news briefing.
Asked if the operation was a raid, she said: "No, that is
not my understanding."