Trump to undergo physical exam on Friday as health questions linger

By Lauren Dezenski

 

President Donald Trump will undergo a physical exam on Friday following mounting questions about his health prompted by noticeable bruising and swelling in recent months.

 

“On Friday morning, President Trump will visit Walter Reed Medical Center for a planned meeting and remarks with the troops. While there, President Trump will stop by for his routine yearly check up,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement Wednesday. “President Trump is considering going to the Middle East shortly thereafter.”

 

While the White House described the visit as his regular yearly physical, the 79-year-old president had an annual exam just six months ago, on April 11. 

 

Since then, Trump has been spotted with swollen ankles and a persistent bruise on his right hand. The White House said in July that Trump had been diagnosed with chronic venous insufficiency, but physicians had otherwise found the president to be in “excellent health.” 

 

Trump’s ankle swelling, his doctor said, is related to the vein disease, which occurs when damaged valves inside the veins struggle to keep blood flowing from the legs back to the heart. Leavitt previously called it a “common condition, particularly in individuals over the age of 70.” The disorder affects about one in 20 adults, according to the Cleveland Clinic.

 

A subsequent memo from White House physician Sean Barbabella said doctors found “no evidence of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) or arterial disease” and that “no signs of heart failure, renal impairment, or systemic illness were identified.”

 

The White House also said the bruising on Trump’s hand, which has remained visible for months, was “minor soft tissue irritation from frequent hand-shaking” and a side effect of aspirin therapy, which the president takes as part of a cardiovascular prevention routine.  

 

Trump in January was the oldest president ever sworn into office. He himself has boasted of being in good health, telling Newsmax in a Monday interview: “I feel the same or better than I did 30 years ago.”

 

His predecessor, former President Joe Biden, dropped out of the 2024 election amid questions about his acuity, and Trump in his first term was reticent to disclose when he underwent medical evaluations.