President Trump required doctors at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center to sign non-disclosure agreements during his surprise visit in 2019, NBC News reports.
Trump, according to the report, "mandated signed NDAs from both physicians and nonmedical staff" when he visited Walter Reed in 2019, although at least two doctors reportedly refused to sign them and, therefore, weren't allowed to be involved in treating him.
When the president paid an unannounced visit to Walter Reed in November 2019, the White House said this was so he could "begin portions of his routine annual physical exam" ahead of a "very busy 2020," although The Washington Post reported at the time that "it is unusual for a president to undergo a physical exam in multiple stages months apart."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
NBC notes that since federal law already prohibits anyone providing medical care from revealing a patient's personal health information without consent, it's unclear why Trump would require NDAs on top of that.
"Ethically and legally you can ask for an NDA, but you don't need one," NYU Grossman School of Medicine director of medical ethics Arthur Caplan told NBC News. "Doctors can't share information with anyone except anyone caring for the patient or anyone billing the patient. And ultimately it's up to the patient whether or not the doctor can share information. It's more redundant than unethical."
This report comes amid ongoing questions regarding Trump's recent COVID-19 diagnosis and hospitalization. The president's physician, Dr. Sean Conley, has evaded numerous questions from reporters and declined to say when Trump last tested negative for COVID-19 prior to his positive test last week. NBC reports it's not clear whether Trump had the same NDA requirement when he was recently hospitalized with COVID-19 at Walter Reed.
-
Marie Antoinette Style at the V&A: a ‘magnificent’ exhibitionThe Week Recommends The UK’s first show dedicated solely to the French queen explores the complex woman behind the ‘bling’
-
8 riveting museum exhibitions on view in the fallThe Week Recommends See Winslow Homer rarities and Black art reimagined
-
Crossword: September 18, 2025The Week's daily crossword
-
Russia slams Kyiv, hits government buildingSpeed Read This was Moscow's largest aerial assault since launching its full-scale invasion in 2022
-
China's Xi hosts Modi, Putin, Kim in challenge to USSpeed Read Chinese President Xi Jinping hosted Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Russian President Vladimir Putin and other Asian leaders at an SCO summit
-
Russian strike on Kyiv kills 23, hits EU officesSpeed Read The strike was the second-largest since Russia invaded in 2022
-
UN votes to end Lebanon peacekeeping missionSpeed Read The Trump administration considers the UN's Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) to be a 'waste of money'
-
Israeli double strike on Gaza hospital kills 20Speed Read The dead include five journalists who worked for The Associated Press, Reuters and Al Jazeera
-
China is silently expanding its influence in American citiesUnder the Radar New York City and San Francisco, among others, have reportedly been targeted
-
Kyiv marks independence as Russia downplays peaceSpeed Read President Vladimir Putin has no plans to meet with Zelenskyy for peace talks pushed by President Donald Trump
-
Trump halts Gaza visas as Israelis protest warSpeed Read Laura Loomer voiced her concerns over injured Palestinian kids being brought to the US for treatment and a potential 'Islamic invasion'
