MAGA-aligned GOP Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) is being challenged for his long-held Senate seat by Democratic pediatrician Dr. Annie Andrews. Graham is running with the endorsement of President Donald Trump, whose recent — and critics say dubious — explanation for an MRI he received is a political target for Andrews.
Trying to quell suspicions raised by reporters and others including Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, the White House released a letter this week from Trump’s physician that addressed the MRI the President said he recently received.
The physician’s note, issued by Dr. Sean Barbabella, said the MRI was part of a “comprehensive executive physical” and was ordered because men of Trump’s age “benefit from a thorough evaluation of cardiovascular and abdominal health” — an explanation repeated by White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt.
None of Trump’s MRI explanation passes the sniff test, according to Dr. Andrews, who by challenging Trump’s transparency — or lack thereof — while trying to hit Graham’s credibility by association.
Andrews wrote on social media: “I would like to challenge one of my physician colleagues to order an abdominal MRI with the indication ‘thorough evaluation of abdominal health’ and let me know what Radiology has to say about that.”
I would like to challenge one of my physician colleagues to order an abdominal MRI with the indication “thorough evaluation of abdominal health” and let me know what Radiology has to say about that. https://t.co/vSEP7BPgj0
— Dr. Annie Andrews (@AnnieAndrewsMD) December 2, 2025
Anesthesiologist Tony Verow replied to Andrews, “These little letters are embarrassing, besides being straight ahead gaslighting.”
The National Institutes of Health‘s detailed primer on appropriate MRI usage underscores Andrews’s suspicion, noting that “clinicians frequently order MRIs to characterize soft tissue and osseous lesions or masses.” Other MRI uses, according to the NIH, include the diagnosis of “vascular occlusive disease and stenosis” and “hepatic fibrosis.”
In addition, NIH informs that “MRI is also valuable for patients with chronic conditions requiring routine imaging surveillance, such as multiple sclerosis and inflammatory bowel diseases” and “chest wall abnormalities,” among other conditions. There is no broad recommendation for MRI use as a general diagnostic tool for “abdominal health.”
Because the “MRI does not exist without hazard – the magnetic field can be dangerous,” NIH recommendations are that “when ordering an MRI, it is important to scrutinize the clinical question, the patient’s clinical status, psychological factors, and the length of time required for the exam and weigh the risks and benefits.”
[NOTE: The MRI transparency issue arose from an off-the-cuff remark Trump made while boasting about the results of his recent physical exam, in which he revealed that he had undergone an MRI, which is not a routine test. In follow-up answers, the President said he did not know what the MRI was meant to diagnose, nor on what part of his body it had been performed. “I have no idea,” Trump said.]
Reporter: Governor Walz called for the release of your MRI results
Trump: They were perfect like my phone call where I got impeached. Absolutely perfect. If you want to have it released, I’ll release it.
Reporter: Can you tell us what they were looking at?
Trump: For what?… pic.twitter.com/gnEeGzJeyZ
— Acyn (@Acyn) November 30, 2025