US President Donald Trump, set to turn 80 in June, is the oldest person to hold the country’s top office. The MAGA leader has often insisted he is in excellent health, further asserting that he continues to ace cognitive exams, despite concerns about whether he is fit to carry out duties.
On Friday (US time), the current US administration echoed these affirmations in a memo written by White House physician Dr Sean Barbabella after the POTUS’ third in-person medical checkup in 13 months. “He is fully fit to carry out all duties of the Commander-in-Chief,” the president’s physician said following his visit to Walter Reed National Military Medical Centre earlier this week.
Released three days after his Tuesday exam, the memo highlighted that the Republican president took a series of exams, testing cardiac function and other areas.
Trump’s medical checkup results revealed
Trump weighs 238 pounds and has a resting heart rate of 73 beats per minute, according to Dr Barbabella’s memo released this week. The president’s physician underscored that the results were largely normal, while also stating, “Slight lower leg swelling was noted, with improvement from last year,” and hand bruising “consistent with minor soft tissue irritation related to frequent handshaking in the setting of aspirin use for cardiovascular prevention.”
The White House doctor further disclosed that Trump took a neurological exam, including screening for cognitive function. The results were within normal limits, recording a score of 30 out of 30.
The memo also ascertained that Trump “remains up to date on all appropriate preventive screenings and immunisations,” adding, “Routine cancer screenings, cardiovascular risk assessment, and metabolic evaluations are current and within recommended intervals.”
Dr Barbabella confirmed that preventive counselling was provided to the POTUS as well. This included guidelines related to his diet ,along with recommendations to take low-dose aspirin, increase physical activity and continue weight loss. The official release even shed light on his current medication for cholesterol control and cardiac prevention.
How Donald Trump’s health became a controversial topic
Earlier this year, Trump spoke at length about his health in an interview with The Wall Street Journal following a CT scan in October 2025. Despite accusations that he has fallen asleep at numerous White House events, the 79-year-old president firmly refuted the viral claims, expressing “irritation” about the seemingly endless debate surrounding his health.
“Let’s talk about health again for the 25th time,” Trump said right off the bat during an “impromptu phone call” with the newspaper. At the time, he also told WSJ that he had been consuming larger-than-recommended aspirin doses for the past 25 years, acknowledging that it caused him to bruise. He even admitted to carrying makeup with him in case his hand got “whacked.”
“They say aspirin is good for thinning out the blood, and I don’t want thick blood pouring through my heart,” Trump said.
When confronted about the possibility of dozing off at public events, Trump countered, saying that he had shut his eyes at times, as he found it “relaxing.”
Since the start of his second presidency in January 2025, Trump has repeatedly come under intense scrutiny over speculated age-related health issues–something that he and his predecessor, Democratic President Joe Biden, have unexpectedly shared in common. Biden, who was originally meant to contest re-election, ultimately dropped out of the 2024 election race after Trump continued to question his age and cognitive ability.
Amid the then-prevalent political scrutiny about the transparency of Biden’s health, his office ultimately announced in May 2025 that the former president had been diagnosed with an “aggressive form” of prostate cancer that had spread to his bones. On his part, Trump initially wished Biden well, but later reverted to attacks, giving way to conspiracy theories that his predecessor concealed the diagnosis while in office.
Last year, a series of photos and videos, showing Trump’s own swollen feet, ankles and calves, went viral. The issue further intensified the scrutiny around his claims of “excellent health.”
Other visuals put even more attention on his right hand, which was seemingly experiencing injury and discolouration. Countless social media posts poked fun at how pictures spotlighted his hand being smeared with makeup to cover up what some believed were “IV wounds.”
Breaking its silence on the matter, the White House ultimately revealed in July 2025 that Trump was suffering from a chronic vein condition. Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt also divulged that his bruised hand was consistent with “tissue damage from frequent handshaking” while consuming aspirin, which was “part of a standard cardio-vascular prevention regimen.”