President Donald Trump’s physical and mental health have been making headlines for months, leading to constant speculation about his fitness for office.
Now the president is trying to regain control of the narrative in an extensive interview on his health, from his bruised hands to nodding off in public, but Trump’s admittedly wild approach to his health and shocking responses in the interview have fueled concerns.
Trump, at 79, is the oldest person ever to start a term as president. His persistent health issues in recent months are no secret.
He’s had swollen ankles from a chronic venous insufficiency diagnosis and persistent bruises on his hands. He’s also seemed out of touch and confused at times over the past months and often loses his train of thought during speeches, meandering off topic in senseless diatribes.
When reporters noticed the dark bruises on one of Trump’s hands earlier this year, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt insisted it was from “frequent handshaking.” His discolored and bruised hand was on display again last month at the Kennedy Center Honors.
His doctors and White House staffers have also insisted that the president is in “exceptional health and perfectly suited to execute his duties as Commander in Chief,” pointing to his busy and active schedule, The Wall Street Journal reported.
Trump revealed he takes large doses of aspirin daily against his doctor’s advice and has for a quarter century. He says he has no plans to stop.
“I’m a little superstitious,” he said, despite doctors’ recommendations that he take a smaller dose.
“They say aspirin is good for thinning out the blood, and I don’t want thick blood pouring through my heart,” Trump said. “I want nice, thin blood pouring through my heart. Does that make sense?”
Trump’s doctor said the president uses aspirin for “cardiac prevention.” Trump reportedly takes 325 milligrams of aspirin a day, which is four times the recommended low dosage amount. In the WSJ interview, the president attributed the bruising on his hand to his aspirin use.
Trump admitted to wearing makeup on his hands after he gets “whacked again by someone.”
“I have makeup that’s, you know, easy to put on, takes about 10 seconds.”
It’s also common knowledge that Trump sleeps very little, and he’s often up late, posting on social media for hours. He doesn’t like to exercise, except for playing golf. He called it “boring” in the WSJ interview. And he loves a high-fat, salty diet of hamburgers and French fries but says he doesn’t worry because of “good genetics.”
“To walk on a treadmill or run on a treadmill for hours and hours like some people do, that’s not for me,” he reportedly said.
In another phone interview with the WSJ, Trump appeared frustrated with ongoing questions about his health.
“Let’s talk about health again for the 25th time,” he complained, adding that, “My health is perfect.”
Trump expressed regret for going public with the results of a cardiovascular and abdominal CT scan in October, which the White House first described as a “routine MRI,” but MRIs, or body imaging tests, are not part of any routine physical exam.
“In retrospect, it’s too bad I took it because it gave them a little ammunition,” Trump whines to the WSJ.
“I would have been a lot better off if they didn’t, because the fact that I took it said, ‘Oh gee, is something wrong?’ Well, nothing’s wrong,” he insisted.
Trump addressed several incidents of sleeping during White House events. Cameras caught him apparently nodding off in November and a December cabinet meeting, but he claims video and photos of him repeatedly dozing in public actually caught him “blinking” or in between blinks.
“I’ll just close. It’s very relaxing to me,” he said, referring to his shuttered eyes. “Sometimes they’ll take a picture of me blinking, blinking, and they’ll catch me with the blink.”
Trump staffers said they believe the president gets bored and has reportedly asked cabinet members to speak loudly, even though they dispute any claims that Trump has issues hearing.
Social media had a field day responding to Trump’s comments in the interview.
“Those are some long blinks,” Threads poster ML Daugherty stated. “He’s been in serious decline for YEARS!” this Threads user proclaimed. “Dozing, Diapered Donald,” another one joked.
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