President Donald Trump pushed back on critics who have questioned the state of his health, telling The Wall Street Journal in an interview published Thursday that he denies falling asleep in meetings and takes a higher dose of aspirin than recommended by his doctors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThey say aspirin is good for thinning out the blood, and I don\u2019t want thick blood pouring through my heart,\u201d Trump told the Journal, attributing often-visible bruises on his hands \u2014 and the makeup he uses to try to cover them \u2014 to the medication. \u201cI take the larger one, but I\u2019ve done it for years, and what it does do is it causes bruising.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Trump\u2019s physician, Navy Capt. Sean Barbabella, told the Journal in a statement that the president takes 325 milligrams of aspirin a day for \u201ccardiac prevention.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Aspirin acts as an anticoagulant, meant to help prevent blood clots from forming. Blood clots that travel to the heart can lead to heart attacks. The medication can also increase a person\u2019s risk of bleeding because it prevents clots from forming in wounds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The 79-year-old president, who in January 2025 became the oldest man ever sworn in to the nation\u2019s top office, has spent more time than he would like in the last year defending his vigor and vitality. In addition to the bruising, he has appeared to fall asleep during meetings. The White House also revealed in October that he had undergone advanced imaging of his torso, setting off speculation about the reason for the diagnostic measures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIn retrospect, it\u2019s too bad I took it because it gave them a little ammunition,\u201d Trump told the Journal in describing the CT scan performed on him. In October, he had said the imaging was an MRI. \u201cI would have been a lot better off if they didn\u2019t, because the fact that I took it said, \u2018Oh gee, is something wrong?\u2019 Well, nothing\u2019s wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“President Trump agreed to meet with the staff and soldiers at Walter Reed Medical Hospital in October. In order to make the most of the President\u2019s time at the hospital, we recommended he undergo another routine physical evaluation to ensure continued optimal health,” Barbabella said in statement to NBC News. “As part of that examination, we asked the President if he would undergo advanced imaging \u2014 either an MRI or CT Scan \u2014 to definitively rule out any cardiovascular issues. The President agreed, and our team of consultants performed a CT Scan. As we revealed in the post-examination report, the advanced imaging was perfectly normal and revealed absolutely no abnormalities.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cPresident Trump\u2019s medical evaluations and laboratory results continue to show excellent metabolic health, and have revealed his cardiovascular health puts him 14 years younger than his age,” Barbabella said. “Overall, the President remains in exceptional health and perfectly suited to execute his duties as Commander in Chief.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt defended messaging around the procedures, saying \u201cthe President\u2019s physicians and the White House have always maintained the President received advanced imaging.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“Additional details on the imaging have been disclosed by the President himself because he continues to be the most transparent and open president in history,” Leavitt added, while former president Joe Biden.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Barbabella also told the Journal that Trump has a condition called \u201csuperficial chronic venous insufficiency,\u201d which caused swelling in his lower legs earlier this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Trump said in the interview that he wore compression socks to help with the problem but discarded them because \u201cI didn\u2019t like them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The president and his aides may be particularly sensitive to issues surrounding his age and health because Biden, was undermined by obvious signs of decline during their 2024 presidential election battle. Ultimately, Biden dropped out of the race \u2014 but remained in the presidency \u2014 following a disastrous debate performance against Trump.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Now, Trump finds it necessary to combat the narrative that age is taking a toll on his presidency, and that appears to be annoying to him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cLet\u2019s talk about health again for the 25th time,\u201d Trump said in the Journal interview. \u201cMy health is perfect.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At the same time, Trump said that he has asked his aides to limit his schedule \u2014 a move that Biden undertook as he tried to save his candidacy in 2024 \u2014 so that he can focus more on the most important meetings. The Journal reported that Trump starts his day in the Oval Office around 10 a.m. and typically works until 7 p.m. or 8 p.m.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Famously enamored of golf, Trump told the newspaper that he doesn\u2019t exercise outside the workouts he gets on the links.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI just don\u2019t like it. It\u2019s boring,\u201d Trump said. \u201cTo walk on a treadmill or run on a treadmill for hours and hours like some people do, that\u2019s not for me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Despite a series of episodes where he has appeared to fall asleep \u2014 dating back as far as his 2024 trial in New York \u2014 Trump suggested that he was merely resting his eyes at times, including a recent Cabinet meeting where he was captured on video.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI\u2019ll just close. It\u2019s very relaxing to me,\u201d he said. \u201cSometimes they\u2019ll take a picture of me blinking, blinking, and they\u2019ll catch me with the blink.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n