President Donald Trump built his 2024 campaign in part on the argument that Joe Biden was too old to serve as president. On Tuesday, just three weeks shy of his 80th birthday, Trump will travel to Walter Reed Medical Center for a physical as he confronts questions about his age and fitness similar to those he once turned against his predecessor.
The visit will be Trump’s third physical examination at the facility since the start of his second term. It is expected to include medical and dental evaluations, along with a private meeting with military staff, according to the White House.
The visit comes amid a steady drumbeat of public concern about Trump’s physical condition. He has repeatedly been photographed with deep bruising on his hands, which he has taken to covering with makeup worn at public events. His lower legs have visibly swollen. Video footage has appeared to show him nodding off during public appearances — an allegation the White House denies. He has frequently been seen moving slowly and cautiously on stairs, steadying himself to avoid tripping, as Biden did on at least one occasion. And some critics have questioned his mental acuity, given his erratic governing style.
The White House has denied that Trump has been caught on camera falling asleep. Trump himself has said that cameras have captured him “resting his eyes,” while aides have maintained that in some images purported to show him sleeping, he was simply blinking. Trump has repeatedly boasted that he has “aced” cognitive tests administered as part of his medical evaluations.
Last month, dozens of Democrats backed an effort to remove Trump from office and questioned his mental fitness after he threatened to destroy “an entire civilization” during negotiations to end the war with Iran. Some voices in the broader MAGA-sphere expressed alarm following the comments. “His mental capacity needs to be examined,” former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., said in a CNN interview.
A Washington Post-ABC News-Ipsos poll conducted last month found that 44% of Americans believe Trump is in good enough physical health to serve effectively as president, down from 54% in September. Just 40% said they believe he has the mental acuity that the office requires.
However, increasing discourse about Trump’s physical fitness has not yet appeared to take a political toll on the GOP. Republican lawmakers continue to seek Trump’s endorsement and even vulnerable members in competitive districts, like New York’s Mike Lawler, have welcomed him to campaign with them.
Even as those questions have mounted, Trump has submitted to medical evaluation at Walter Reed three times since returning to office — more frequently than previous presidents have typically scheduled such examinations.
In October, Trump took a trip to Walter Reed for what the White House described as a “semiannual physical,” after having gone for his annual physical just six months prior in April. Trump also made two trips to his local dentist in Palm Beach, Florida, this year in January and May.
During the October appointment, the president underwent a “preventive” computed tomography, or CT, scan of his cardiovascular and abdominal organs. Results from the advanced imaging, according to his physician Dr. Sean Barbabella, were “perfectly normal and revealed absolutely no abnormalities.” Trump initially told reporters he had received an MRI and declined to specify which part of the body was examined, but said he’d be “okay” with having the results released. The images were never made public.
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In July, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters Trump had been “thoroughly evaluated” by the White House medical unit for bruising in his hands and swelling in his lower legs, which were widely photographed by the press corps. Leavitt attributed the bruising to Trump “constantly working and shaking hands all day every day.” Trump is often seen at public events with makeup applied to the back of his hands, presumably to hide the bruising.
Barbabella has disclosed that Trump was diagnosed with chronic venous insufficiency, a condition in which the flow of blood becomes impaired in the lower legs. Despite the diagnosis, Barbabella has maintained the president is in “excellent health,” even as he maintains a busy daily schedule and is often up in the middle of the night posting on Truth Social.
Earlier this year, Trump told the Wall Street Journal that he takes 325 milligrams of aspirin daily — a dose far higher than most physicians recommend for regular use. Barbabella said in a statement to the Journal that the president takes aspirin preventatively for cardiac care.
Trump’s eating habits have been a recurring point of discussion among members of his administration. On “The Katie Miller Podcast” in January, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. said the president is in “incredible” health, but criticized his diet, saying it consists of “really bad food,” frequently including McDonald’s, candy and Diet Coke. “I don’t know how he’s alive, but he is,” Kennedy said. At an awards gala earlier this month, White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles said Trump eats McDonald’s “every single day.”
Trump has continued to downplay his advanced age, even as he’s set to become an octogenarian in less than three weeks.
“I’m not a senior,” Trump insisted at a White House event on May 4. “I’m far younger. I feel like — I feel the same as I felt 50 years ago.”
Akayla Gardner is a White House correspondent for MS NOW.
Emily Hung is an associate White House producer for MS NOW.