Dr. Harold Bornstein — who rose to fame by declaring longtime patient Donald Trump would be “the healthiest individual ever elected to the presidency,” in a hastily composed letter — thinks he should be the White House physician. Though he’s known Trump for more than 30 years, he apparently thought revealing the president’s private medical information to his least favorite publication — and complaining about the inauguration — were smart ways to pursue this goal.
The New York Times reports that in a series of interviews, which were at times “moody” and meandering, Dr. Bornstein revealed that Trump takes Propecia to promote hair growth. The president’s use of the prostate-related drug explains why he had such low levels of prostate-specific antigen, a marker for prostate cancer, in health data Dr. Bornstein released during the campaign. Dr. Bornstein takes the drug as well. “He has all his hair,” he said. “I have all my hair.”
Dr. Bornstein told the paper that Trump also takes antibiotics to control rosacea, a statin for elevated blood cholesterol and lipids, and a daily baby aspirin to reduce his risk of a heart attack.
In addition to the potential HIPAA violation, Dr. Bornstein shared a weird observation about the president’s behavior during his exams:
Dr. Bornstein also addressed questions about Mr. Trump’s recent description of himself as a “germophobe.’’ Dr. Bornstein said he had never discussed that phenomenon with Mr. Trump, but “we are very careful to keep the examining rooms spotlessly clean, which we do anyway.’’ He added, “He always stands there and changes the paper on the table himself” after an examination. “Other than that, nothing.”
And he complained that he had a bad experience at the inauguration:
Dr. Bornstein was invited to Mr. Trump’s inaugural, although he said it was not as pleasant an experience as he expected. He had to walk a long way to a spot where he thought there would be a chair — he said he has a painful back ailment and nerve damage to a leg — but when he got there, there was no chair.
He stood behind a tree and “never heard anyone speak because I was so uncomfortable from my back and being cold.” He felt, he said, “absolutely miserable.” It seemed to take forever to leave because of the heavy security, he said. The situation was the same at an inaugural ball where there were no tables and chairs. So, he said, unable to chat comfortably with others, he and his wife, Melissa, returned to their hotel early.
Dr. Bornstein said he recently told Trump’s secretary, Rhona Graff, “You know, I should be the White House physician.” White House officials declined to comment on the story, and would not say whether he’s still the president’s doctor.
