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Trump’s Annual Physical: A Look at Health and Transparency
President Donald Trump underwent his annual physical examination on Friday, expressing satisfaction with the results by stating, “I did well.” Trump, who at 78 years old is the oldest president in U.S. history, spent nearly five hours at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, undergoing what he described as “every test you can imagine.”
After the examination, Trump commented, “I was there for a long time. I think I did very well.” Despite his frequent criticism of former President Joe Biden’s health, Trump has maintained a level of secrecy regarding his own medical details, often diverging from the traditional transparency typically expected from presidential health reports. He anticipates that the results from his latest physical will be made public by Sunday, although previous reports have sometimes lacked substantive detail.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt indicated that a report from the White House physician would be released “as soon as we possibly can” and suggested that it would provide comprehensive information regarding Trump’s health.
Following the examination, Trump flew to Florida for the weekend aboard Air Force One. During the flight, he revealed that doctors had offered him some lifestyle advice aimed at improving his health, but he did not specify the details of this guidance. “Overall, I felt I was in very good shape. A good heart, a good soul, a very good soul,” he remarked, also sharing that he underwent a cognitive test and felt confident, asserting, “I got every answer right.”
Health Scrutiny and Presidential Transparency
Trump argued that mental acuity screening is something “the American people want” and used the opportunity to critique Biden, claiming that his predecessor had declined to take such a test. The forthcoming medical report will be the most detailed public data regarding Trump’s health since an assassination attempt in July in Butler, Pennsylvania. Following that event, Rep. Ronny Jackson, Trump’s former physician and ally, provided a memo detailing a gunshot wound to Trump’s ear rather than a full medical report.
Trump had stated in an August interview that he would “very gladly” release his medical records, yet no such disclosure has occurred as of now. Trump is three years younger than Biden; however, by the age of 78, he surpassed Biden’s age during his own inauguration ceremony in January 2021, establishing a new record for the oldest president in office.
Presidential privacy rights safeguard medical records akin to those of any citizen, allowing for discretion in what is publicized. Nevertheless, modern presidential annual physicals often play a crucial role in providing the public insight into the health status of the nation’s leader.
Historically, Trump has chosen a path of limited disclosure about his health. The last significant update came in November 2023 when Dr. Bruce A. Aronwald shared a letter confirming that Trump was in “excellent” physical and mental health, although the letter lacked key metrics such as weight, blood pressure, and cholesterol levels. Aronwald simply noted that Trump’s physical exams were normal and his cognitive evaluations were exceptional.
Trump was previously treated at Walter Reed for a severe coronavirus infection in 2020. During that episode, his medical team provided an optimistic assessment, which contrasted with later reports that indicated Trump had experienced more serious symptoms than he initially acknowledged. In November 2019, a trip to Walter Reed for a physical was not publicly disclosed in advance, breaking protocol, and only came to light three days later, with Trump downplaying it as a “very routine physical.”
One of Trump’s most notable remarks regarding his health occurred in a July 2020 interview, during which he highlighted specific words to showcase his cognitive skills — “Person. Woman. Man. Camera. TV.” This statement became widely referenced in discussions about his mental fitness. On the recent flight, when asked about this cognitive test, Trump reaffirmed his success, stating, “Whatever it is, I got every one — I got it all right.”
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globalnews.ca