President Donald Trump is raising new concerns about his health and ability to serve in office after the White House announced he would have his annual medical evaluation six months ahead of schedule.
The White House said on Thursday that Trump would go to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center for his “routine yearly checkup.” But Trump just had an examination at that same facility in April. If it were truly an annual checkup, Trump would not be due until April 2026.
The White House did not explain why Trump is going to be examined ahead of time but the medical visit comes after several incidents that have raised questions about Trump’s health.
“Nap time” by Clay Bennett
While Trump received a clean bill of health after his April exam, the White House then disclosed in July that Trump has a “chronic venous insufficiency,” a medical condition that leads to an increase in pressure and discomfort in leg veins after valves in those veins can no longer assist the flow of blood to the heart. This was after pictures surfaced of Trump’s visibly swollen ankles.
Trump has been seen on several occasions now with visible bruising on his hands, which have been reportedly covered up by makeup. At the ceremony to commemorate the anniversary of 9/11 in September, Trump’s face appeared to droop on one side.
At 79, Trump is the oldest president to take the oath of office and is the second oldest president in American history.
During his time as a political figure, Trump has a considerable history of being deceptive and dishonest about his medical condition.
When he caught COVID-19 during his first term in 2020, the White House was not transparent with the public about his medical condition. Trump also failed to immediately disclose when he and first lady Melania Trump were vaccinated against the virus.
During his first term, Rep. Ronny Jackson served as Trump’s personal physician. Jackson claimed in 2018 that Trump had “good genes” and was in “excellent health.” Later, Jackson faced numerous allegations that surfaced when Trump nominated him earlier this year to serve as head of the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Jackson was accused of public drunkenness, crashing a car while under the influence, and over-prescribing medication for himself and others. He then withdrew his nomination.
When Trump first announced running for president in 2015, he released a letter from his personal physician, Dr. Harold Bornstein, making the over-the-top claim, “If elected, Mr. Trump, I can state unequivocally, will be the healthiest individual ever elected to the presidency.”
Bornstein later told CNN, “He dictated that whole letter. I didn't write that letter. I just made it up as I went along.”
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Trump’s history of medical deception even goes back to his youth, when his father reportedly enlisted a podiatrist to give him a diagnosis of bone spurs in his heels, which allowed him to claim a medical exemption and avoid being drafted to serve in the Vietnam War.
Trump and other Republicans have spent years demagoguing the health of leading Democrats like former President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Now it is Trump who finds himself in the health spotlight.
