White House Doctor Must Be Within 3 Minutes of Trump, Report Says

— Sean Barbabella, DO, is among few people with complete knowledge of Trump's health

It's not easy being the President's physician, but the Wall Street Journal captured some of the biggest challengesopens in a new tab or window facing Sean Barbabella, DOopens in a new tab or window -- including the need to always be within 3 minutes of the president.

At age 80, President Donald Trump is the oldest president in history, a record previously head by his immediate predecessor Joe Biden. That's in part why Barbabella or another doctor must always be able to get to the President within that timeframe, WSJ reported.

Barbabella is "among the few officials with complete knowledge of Trump's health and one of a handful responsible for what the public knows about it," the article stated.

Indeed, critics have complained about the superlatives in Trump's public medical reports, such as that he is in "excellentopens in a new tab or window" or "exceptionalopens in a new tab or window" health, while key metrics for judging overall fitness are left out. Earlier this year, the White House aggressively deniedopens in a new tab or window reports that Trump received special access to the investigational obesity drug retatrutide.

The article also suggests that the type of medical information about Trump that gets released has diminished over time. For instance, Trump's former physician in his first administration was Ronny Jackson, DO, who released ejection fraction and stress echocardiogram results.

Barbabella, on the other hand, had characterized the President's cardiology results as normal without including data, the article stated.

The White House defended the reports, saying they are not intended to be a "comprehensive document with every treatment detail." However, a historian argued that the president does not, in fact, "have immunity from full disclosure of his health."

Trump, who was wounded in one assassination attempt and was the intended target of two others, could use someone like Barbabella, who has served as an emergency physician on the front lines in Afghanistan.

Barbabella graduated from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine in 1992 and enlisted in the Navy, soon thereafter graduating from A.T. Still University of Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine in Missouri.

He went on to residency at the Naval Medical Center in Portsmouth, Virginia -- where two other Trump physicians did their residencies: Jackson and Sean Conley, DO.

After serving in Afghanistan, Barbabella ultimately returned to the U.S. and most recently served as commanding officer of the Naval Health Clinic Cherry Point in North Carolina.

Jackson told WSJ that Trump asked him to suggest medical staff for his second term: "His direction to me was: Pick somebody that you know and that you trust," Jackson said. "And if you don't know them and you can't personally vouch for them and you don't trust them, then I don't want them." He then pushed for Barbabella to get the job.

Someone who has seen Barbabella interact with Trump describe the doctor's approach as low key and direct, the article stated.

One of Barbabella's colleagues in Afghanistan, James Hancock, MD, described Barbabella as "introverted, very modest, very confident" and "ice cold under pressure."

"He is clinically really good," said Andy Johnson, MD, head of emergency medicine at Portsmouth during Barbabella's residency. "The president doesn't need a physician who is coming up with research ideas. He needs someone who doesn't miss a thing."