Donald Trump: Meet the doctors who have been responsible for the president’s health – Sky News

Donald and Melania Trump are being supported by the official White House doctor after testing positive for COVID-19.

Commander Sean Conley is one of the president's three main doctors he has had over the past few decades.

Sky News has taken a closer look at each of them - from one who revealed Mr Trump's hair secrets, to another who allegedly gave out prescription drugs "like candy".

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Sean Conley

He became the official physician to the president in May 2018 and had largely stayed out of the limelight until he confirmed in May that he agreed Mr Trump could take anti-malarial drug hydroxychloroquine to stave off COVID-19.

Despite studies showing that the drug does not help prevent COVID-19, he said a discussion with the president concluded the "potential benefit from treatment outweighed the relative risks".

The White House doctor trained as an osteopathic physician before serving as an emergency doctor with the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan from 2014.

He was head of the trauma department at NATO's rocket-resistant primary trauma centre for combat casualties in southern Afghanistan, where his unit won a commendation for saving a Romanian soldier injured by an improvised explosive device.

Before becoming the White House doctor, Dr Conley had a stint as a research director at Portsmouth Navy Department of Emergency Medicine.

Official doctors to the president generally come from the armed forces and oversee a group of staff typically made up of five military doctors, five doctors' assistants, five nurses, three paramedics, three administrators and one IT manager.

They have to be near the president at all times, in the White House, overseas, on the campaign trail or onboard Air Force One.

Daniel Ruge, White House doctor under Ronald Reagan, said the role was "vastly overrated, boring and not medically challenging".

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Ronny Jackson

Dr Conley's predecessor started his career in the US Navy, specialising in submarine and hyperbaric medicine, which led to him being part of a team diving for explosive ordnance in Italy.

He also trained in emergency medicine and served in the Iraq War before moving to the White House in 2006, where he looked after the cabinet and senior staff under George W Bush and Barack Obama.

Mr Obama appointed him physician to the president in 2013 and in 2017 he made headlines after he treated a girl who was bitten by Sunny, one of the Obamas' dogs.

He remained the White House doctor under Mr Trump and attempted several times to get the president to improve his diet and exercise more.

Mr Trump is known for enjoying Diet Coke, McDonald's, red meat and vanilla ice cream - and only walking around the golf course for exercise.

However, Dr Jackson spoke to the press for an hour in January 2018 about how the president had "good genes", did "exceedingly well" on his cognitive test and had "excellent" cardiac health.

He said he told Mr Trump that if he had a healthier diet over the past 20 years he "might live to be 200 years old", adding that "he is fit for duty".

Dr Jackson was allegedly called "the candy man" in the White House after being accused of improperly handing out prescription drugs, excessively drinking on the job and creating a hostile work environment. He denies all allegations.

He is now running for Congress as a Republican in Texas and has said he opposes being forced to wear a face mask to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Harold Bornstein

Mr Trump's personal doctor for 37 years, after taking over from his father, Dr Bornstein is a gastroenterologist who was unceremoniously ousted from the president's inner circle in 2017.

He famously signed a letter to prove Mr Trump was in good health after questions were raised during the 2016 election campaign.

It was full of praise for Mr Trump, saying his lab results were "astonishingly excellent", showed "only positive results", his strength and stamina were "extraordinary" and his cardiovascular system was "excellent".

Mr Trump "will be the healthiest individual ever elected to the presidency", it added.

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But, in May 2019, he revealed Mr Trump dictated the whole letter.

He made the revelation after he claimed Mr Trump's bodyguard and lawyer barged into his offices and took the president's medical records after he revealed to the media Mr Trump took hair growth stimulant Propecia.

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Donald Trump: Meet the doctors who have been responsible for the president's health - Sky News