Donald Trump, 79, has acknowledged taking medical steps to address age-related health issues while insisting that he remains in excellent health.
In an interview with The Wall Street Journal, Trump, who is the oldest person to assume the presidency, expressed frustration with the continuous attention surrounding his wellbeing.
He addressed a range of questions about his health and medical care, much of it prompted by visible signs of aging that have led to intense public scrutiny.
Highlights
- Donald Trump acknowledged taking medical steps for age-related health but insists he remains in excellent health.
- He confirmed brief use of compression socks for leg swelling linked to Chronic Venous Insufficiency but stopped due to discomfort.
- Trump takes a higher aspirin dose daily for 25 years, despite doctors advising reduction, saying it helps keep his blood thin.
- He admitted aspirin causes easy bruising and uses makeup to cover hand bruises from minor injuries and accidental knocks.
Donald Trump pushed back against concerns about his health
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Trump said he has, at times, rejected or abandoned medical advice and has grown increasingly irritated by what he described as excessive scrutiny of routine health matters.
He confirmed to the WSJ that he briefly wore medical compression socks after experiencing swelling in his lower legs earlier this year, but stopped using them because he found them uncomfortable.
“I didn’t like them,” Trump said.
The president visited Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in mid-July after what his physician described as “mild swelling in his lower legs.”
An ultrasound showed that Trump has chronic venous insufficiency (CVI), a common condition among older adults that makes it harder for blood to travel back to the heart.
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Sean Barbabella, Trump’s White House doctor, told the WSJ that the president’s condition is “superficial chronic venous insufficiency,” which affects smaller veins and is treatable.
Trump said the swelling has since improved and that he has tried to address it by standing up and walking around more during the day.
However, he made clear that he has little interest in structured exercise beyond golf.
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“To walk on a treadmill or run on a treadmill for hours and hours like some people do, that’s not for me,” he told the publication. “I just don’t like it. It’s boring.”
The president also discussed his long-standing use of aspirin, saying he takes 325 milligrams daily—four times the low-dose amount commonly recommended for cardiac prevention.
Barbabella confirmed to the WSJ that Trump takes the higher dose, which doctors have encouraged him to reduce.
Trump said taking aspirin caused his hands to bruise easily
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Trump said he has declined to change because he has taken it for roughly 25 years.
“I’m a little superstitious,” he said.
“They say aspirin is good for thinning out the blood, and I don’t want thick blood pouring through my heart,” Trump noted. “I want nice, thin blood pouring through my heart. Does that make sense?”
He acknowledged that the aspirin causes him to bruise easily.
Trump said those bruises have led him to apply makeup to his hands, particularly after minor injuries.
He described an incident at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, where Attorney General Pam Bondi accidentally nicked his hand with a ring during a high-five.
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“The ring hit the back of my hand, and, yes, there was a slight little cut,” Trump said.
Aides told the WSJ that similar incidents have occurred on other occasions.
Trump said he applies makeup after he gets “whacked again by someone,” adding that it “takes about 10 seconds.”
In the interview, Trump also addressed confusion surrounding an imaging procedure he underwent in October. For weeks, he had publicly referred to the test as an MRI, but both he and his doctor told the WSJ that it was in fact a CT scan.
“It wasn’t an MRI,” Trump said. “It was less than that. It was a scan.”
Barbabella said the CT scan was performed to rule out cardiovascular issues and revealed no abnormalities.
Trump denied falling asleep in meetings and said his hearing was fine
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Trump rejected suggestions that he struggles with sleep or alertness, despite recent photographs appearing to show the president dozing off in meetings.
He claimed those images were deceptive and that he was simply resting his eyes.
“I’ll just close. It’s very relaxing to me,” he said, referring to shutting his eyes. “Sometimes they’ll take a picture of me blinking, blinking, and they’ll catch me with the blink.”
Trump said he has never been a heavy sleeper. “I’ve never been a big sleeper,” he said, adding that he frequently works late into the night.
He also denied having hearing problems, responding sarcastically when asked about it and saying he only occasionally has trouble hearing in crowded settings.
‘Genetics are very important,’ he said. ‘And I have very good genetics.’
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“I can’t hear you. I can’t hear you. I can’t hear a word you’re saying,” he said in response to the WSJ’s question.
Trump also confirmed he hadn’t made changes to his diet, which is widely described to be high in fat, with it being well known that the president enjoys fast food such as McDonald's.
He claimed he had plenty of stamina and attributed it to his parents.
“Genetics are very important,” he said. “And I have very good genetics.”