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Donald Trump surprises Dr. Oz with results of recent physical

Posted at 5:34 PM, Sep 14, 2016
and last updated 2016-09-14 17:34:45-04

Donald Trump, a master showman, surprised the “Dr. Oz Show” studio audience on Wednesday by revealing the results of a recent physical exam.

The “Oz” episode, taped on Wednesday morning, will not air until Thursday. But a campaign spokeswoman confirmed that Trump handed Dr. Oz a one-page summary of the physical exam he underwent last week.

The physical was conducted by Dr. Harold N. Bornstein, the same doctor who previously said Trump would if elected be the healthiest president in history.

The campaign plans to share the information from Dr. Bornstein on Thursday.

“When the numbers come in, I’ll be releasing very, very specific numbers,” Trump said earlier this week.

During the taping, Trump told Dr. Oz that he wants to lose about 15 pounds, according to an audience member interviewed by CNN’s MJ Lee.

Hillary Clinton’s recent health travails only briefly came up during the hour-long taping, according to the audience member. Trump repeated what he has said in recent interviews: That he hopes she gets well soon.

The TV appearance gives the appearance of transparency, but the summary by Dr. Bornstein will fall far short of experts’ calls for detailed information about Trump’s health and medical history.

According to an announcement by “The Dr. Oz Show,” the television doctor took Trump “through a full review of systems,” including the GOP nominee’s nervous system, cardiovascular health and family medical history.

Trump talked with Oz about his physical activity, dietary habits, and broader health-related issues.

Multiple audience members told CNN that Trump said he does not exercise. But one of them — Kelly Platt, a pharmacist intern who said she is a Trump supporter — said Trump told Oz that he is so good at golf he could join the PGA Tour.

According to Platt, Oz said his interpretation of the letter from Bornstein is that Trump has no health issues. Platt said that, according to Oz, Trump’s cholesterol has come down to a good level after he was prescribed a Statin drug to lower it — Oz remarked that only a young person would have a cholesterol level that good, Platt said.

Trump and Oz also discussed political topics that are of interest to the “Dr. Oz Show” audience, like efforts to fight the Zika virus and Trump’s new child care policies.

Trump’s daughter Ivanka, who joined him on the campaign trail Tuesday, was also with him for part of the “Dr. Oz Show” taping.

And Trump took questions from the studio audience.

The reveal of Trump’s physical exam records was a surprise to the studio audience and to the media.

Trump’s campaign had said Wednesday morning that the results would not be disclosed during the television taping.

Earlier this week, Oz told Fox News host Brian Kilmeade that Oz would be reviewing the results of a physical Trump underwent last week.

“What if there’s some embarrassing things on there?” Kilmeade asked.

“Well, I bet you he won’t release them,” Oz said.

Kilmeade followed up: “Oh, it’s still going to be his decision?”

“It’s his decision,” Oz said.

Trump’s daytime TV chat about health and wellness is a savvy political stunt. The New York Times called it a “match made on TV,” describing Oz as a “kindred spirit — a physician who is not only Republican, but also has spent the last decade attracting an enormous following on television.”

Trump, a former reality TV star, is at home in a setting like “The Dr. Oz Show.”

The “Oz” appearance was also partly a pitch to female voters. (Daytime TV shows like “Dr. Oz” skew female.)

He was booked on the show more than a week ago, which means the plans pre-date Clinton’s recent health scare.

Clinton is taking several days off from campaigning as she recovers from a bout of pneumonia.

Trump has repeatedly called out Clinton’s “stamina” in recent months, alluding to long-held questions in conservative media circles about Clinton’s health.

But since she stumbled leaving a 9/11 commemoration ceremony on Sunday morning, Trump has been careful not to question Clinton’s health directly.

Oz told Kilmeade that he wanted to keep the TV segment focused on Trump and Trump’s policies — “we’re not going to be talking about Secretary Clinton, for sure,” he said.