Trump declares himself in perfect health
US President Donald Trump, who turns 80 next month, said after being examined at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center that “everything is in perfect control” after a year of public attention to his seemingly minor health problems.
Trump gave no details about the physical in a brief Truth Social post on Tuesday, saying he had completed his six-month exam. Trump often describes himself as more energetic and fit than his Democratic predecessor, Joe Biden, who left office last year at 82 after facing questions about his fitness for office.
Still, recent photos showing a spotty rash on his neck have raised questions about Trump’s health, following images of swollen ankles and bruised hands hidden by makeup in July 2025.
Trump, whose birthday is June 14, began his second term in January 2025, becoming the oldest person to assume the presidency.
The visit to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center was Trump’s third in 13 months.
Trump maintains an active golf schedule but joked about his relative lack of exercise at a recent Oval Office event, where health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said the president walks 9 miles every time he goes golfing.
“When I’m not driving,” Trump said.
White House physician Sean Barbabella said Trump used a common cream as a “preventative skin treatment” to relieve the rash on his neck, but did not provide details of the condition being treated.
After photos of the president’s legs and hands were published last July, Barbabella said in a letter that the ailments were benign and that there was no evidence of deep vein thrombosis or arterial disease.
White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt told reporters that Trump’s leg swelling was due to a “general” vascular condition and that his hand was bruised from shaking too many hands.
Trump said last October that he took a magnetic resonance imaging exam that month. The White House initially declined to share further details about the reason for the screening. Leavitt said only that it was indicative of “exceptional physical health” for Trump.
The president later told reporters that he had an MRI as part of a second physical exam.
“Getting an MRI is very standard. What, you think I shouldn’t have it? Other people are getting it. … I had an MRI. The doctor said it was the best result he’s ever seen as a doctor,” Trump said.
Medical experts note that MRIs are not usually part of routine examinations and are usually prescribed to take detailed images of the body. In a memo released after the second examination, Barbabella said the president’s heart age (a verified measure of cardiovascular vitality via ECG) was found to be about 14 years younger than his chronological age.
Trump also faced questions after appearing to fall asleep in several meetings, including a Cabinet session.
“Some said he closed his eyes. Look, it’s getting pretty boring,” Trump told laughing officials in February.
“I couldn’t sleep. I turned it off because I wanted to get the hell out of here.”
Last year, Biden was diagnosed with “aggressive prostate cancer” that had spread to his bones and underwent radiation treatment.
