California Gov. Gavin Newsom didn’t just mock President Donald Trump with his latest viral post — he did it at the exact moment the White House was already under fire for releasing an MRI memo that critics and medical experts alike were openly questioning. The combination of skepticism and Ne wsom’s razor-sharp satire turned what the White House hoped would be a reassuring health update into a full-blown spectacle. U.S. President Donald Trump is getting mocked by California Gov. Gavin Newsom (right) after releasing memo on MRI results. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) The backlash started almost immediately after Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt stood at the podium and read aloud a memo from Trump’s physician, Sean Barbabella, describing a series of “advanced imaging” scans as standard preventative tests. ‘They’ll Defend Anything!’: Trump’s Visible Decline Fuels Alarming Questions About His Age — Then Laura Ingraham Drops an Excuse So Absurd It Blows Up the Internet “As part of President Donald Jr. Trump’s comprehensive executive physical, advanced imaging was performed because men in his age group benefit from a thorough evaluation of cardiovascular and abdominal health,” Leavitt stated as she read from the letter. White House Memo Screenshot Newsom saw his opportunity and pounced with a satirical doctor’s letter so precise in tone that it exposed just how unserious critics say the White House’s justification really was. The parody, styled as a health memo from the “PHYSCIAN TO THE GOVERNOR OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA,” declared the governor “the healthiest human currently alive or recorded in medical history.” It boasted that his arteries “shimmered,” his resting heart rate was so perfect the machine thought he was “naturally enlightened,” and his bone density was so exceptional a radiologist wondered if they had scanned a redwood. The letter escalated, adding that Newsom “does not require ‘executive time’ to lie down and watch TV during work hours, and is able to stand upright without looking like the leaning Tower of Pisa.” He said when Trump stands up he looks like the "leaning Tower of Pisa" pic.twitter.com/IcibznWbaU— Aisha (@aishamusic) December 2, 2025 Newsom sealed the joke with an over-the-top signature, “Dr. Doolittle, California Department of Peak Excellence.” The spoof was a hit with Trump’s critics, generating more than 1.8 million views. “This is pure gold!!! I hope the clown who read his MRI results sees how dumb she sounded,” one Threads user said, referring to Leavitt. “Epic troll!,” another wrote. But while Newsom supplied the comedic blow, medical experts supplied the legitimacy that made the parody sting. Scientific American reported that radiologists and former White House medical staffers immediately questioned Barbabella’s claim that Trump’s imaging was “standard.” MRI expert Thomas Kwee said bluntly, “No, it is certainly not standard medical practice to perform screening MRIs of the heart and abdomen.” Former White House physician Jeffrey Kuhlman added that such scans are “not standard for an executive physical.” On CNN, physician Jeremy Faust expanded on the issue during an interview with Anderson Cooper. Faust explained that MRIs are almost never used preventively, telling Cooper, “There’s really no such thing as routine prevention using an MRI — we use them for diagnosis.” When Cooper asked why Trump’s team would want that type of imaging, Faust responded, “Sometimes there’s ‘celebrity syndrome’ where people order boutique, full-body MRIs… The other possibility is they’re following up on new symptoms or an existing diagnosis. But the idea that this was just preventive doesn’t add up.” View on Threads Viewers at home were just as skeptical. One Threads user wrote, “Speaking as someone who had to fight my insurance to get an MRI, the idea of a preventive MRI is complete nonsense.” “My 90-year-old parents don’t get MRIs at their physicals. Drowsy Donnie has some serious health issues they’re tracking,” another added. A third pointed out, “The memo doesn’t even say MRI — it says ‘advanced imaging.’ Why isn’t anyone pressing MRI vs CT? And what about his brain?” Meanwhile, Trump told reporters Sunday that he underwent “preventive” imaging during his October physical — his second in six months — but admitted he had “no idea” what body parts were scanned, though he insisted everything was “perfect.” View on Threads Barbabella’s letter attempted to present the scans as standard care meant to “ensure long-term vitality and function.” But major medical guidelines, including those from the American Heart Association, contradict that explanation, and experts say the memo’s language raised more questions than it answered. ‘This Is Pure Gold!!’: Newsom Exposes the ‘Truth’ After Trump’s White House Tries to Pass Off ‘Complete Nonsense’ with an MRI Letter Experts Say ‘Doesn’t Add Up’ ...read more read less