Physicians, be careful with powerful patients
24 July 2024
I have previously written about Donald J. Trump’s physicians, who have made many unprofessional statements, most likely due to his pressure, which damaged their reputations and the integrity of the medical profession.
As physicians, we have expertise in understanding, diagnosing and treating disease. We do not have expertise in dealing with powerful and manipulative people. We should be careful to maintain our professional standards in these circumstances. Our patients can limit what we disclose to the public but cannot change what we say, as Trump appears to have done through the examples below:
Actually, his blood pressure, 110/65, and laboratory test results were astonishingly excellent. . . If elected, Mr Trump, I can state unequivocally, will be the healthiest individual ever elected to the presidency. Harold Bornstein, M.D. who later indicated that this wording was dictated by Trump himself.
You know, I told the president that if he had a healthier diet over the last 20 years, he might live to be 200 years old. Ronny Jackson, M.D.
Sean Conley, D.O. prescribed hydroxychloroquine, a potentially harmful drug, for a severe COVID-19 infection leading to hospitalization, although it has no proven value. Dr. Conley was also dishonest about the status of his patient, particularly by stating that he was “doing really well” when all indications were that he was seriously ill and receiving aggressive treatment. He stated that he did not want to "give any information that might steer the course of illness in another direction" and "it came off that we're trying to hide something, which wasn't necessarily true”, which is nonsensical.
Bruce Aronwald, D.O. stated in September 2023 that Trump’s “cognitive exams were exceptional” and that “President Trump is currently in excellent health, and with his continued interest in preventative health monitoring and maintenance, he will continue to enjoy a healthy active lifestyle for years to come.” This is dishonest as it is obvious to all who listen to Trump’s long speeches that he suffers from cognitive decline. In addition, he clearly has minimal interest in a healthy lifestyle based on his lifelong diet of high fat foods and red meat with minimal fruits and vegetables, which is strongly associated with cancer, heart disease, diabetes and stroke. In November 2023, Dr. Aronwald wrote that Trump was in excellent physical and mental health and later made the bizarre statement that “there is no need for President Trump to release another medical report in addition to the one he recently made public.”
As Trump continues to deteriorate mentally and possibly physically, we can anticipate additional examples of his physicians acting more as publicists than as dispassionate professionals.
Trump’s physicians have damaged their professional reputations but at least their licenses have not been affected, in contrast to Trump’s attorneys. CNN recently listed the professional reckonings for Trump’s lawyers regarding his lies about the 2020 election. Attorneys regularly associate with evil people and know how to protect themselves from their clients’ bad behavior. However, Trump pushed his lawyers into overriding their common sense and getting into trouble.
Others have been similarly damaged by their association with Trump:
Many Trump allies have pled guilty or been convicted of crimes, see also here.
19 individuals were charged and 4 have pled guilty in the Georgia election racketeering case associated with the 2020 election.
1200+ individuals were charged, including 600+ who pled guilty and 100+ who were found guilty at trial regarding the January 6, 2021 insurrection.
One Trump supporter died during the insurrection.
MyPillow chief executive officer Mike Lindell, a strong Trump supporter, has suffered financially due to his support for Trump.
Fox News and Rubert Murdoch, paid a whopping $787 million for its false election claims.
Thus, physicians and others must be particularly careful in dealing with powerful patients or clients who may influence us to override our professional standards and potentially damage our careers.
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