Get you up to speed: White House says Trump is in “excellent health” in results from physical
President Trump’s physician released a letter stating that the president is in “excellent health” following a physical at Walter Reed National Military Hospital. The letter confirms that Mr. Trump is “fully fit to carry out all duties of the Commander-in-Chief and Head of State.”
President Trump’s recent physical at Walter Reed National Military Hospital was his third since returning to the White House and included preventative counselling on diet and exercise. The physician noted the president’s cardiac age is approximately 14 years younger than his chronological age, a consistent assessment from previous evaluations.
Captain Sean Barbabella, President Trump’s physician, confirmed in a letter that the president is “fully fit to carry out all duties of the Commander-in-Chief and Head of State” following a recent physical examination. The letter also provided preventative care guidance, including recommendations for diet and increased physical activity, as the White House prepares to monitor the president’s health as he approaches his 80th birthday next month.
What remains unclear — The White House has not detailed the impact of the president’s weight change and blood pressure fluctuations on his overall health.
White House reports Trump in excellent health following physical assessment
President Trump’s physician said in a letter released late Friday that the president is in “excellent health,” following a physical earlier this week at Walter Reed National Military Hospital.
The president’s visit to Walter Reed on Tuesday was his third known checkup at the military hospital since returning to the White House. Describing it as a semi-annual physical, Mr. Trump said on social media everything “checked out PERFECTLY,” but the White House did not release a detailed summary until Friday.
Friday’s letter from Capt. Sean Barbabella, a Navy captain who serves as physician to the president, said Mr. Trump demonstrated “strong cardiac, pulmonary, neurological, and overall physical function.” He cited the president’s “demanding daily schedule,” frequent “high-level meetings” and “regular physical activity.”
It said the president, who turns 80 next month, weighs 238 pounds and had a blood pressure of 105 over 71, compared to 224 pounds and a blood pressure of 128 over 74 at his physical last April. His resting heart rate was 73 beats per minute. He is taking aspirin and the cholesterol control drugs rosuvastatin and ezetimibe.
Barbabella said Mr. Trump is “fully fit to carry out all duties of the Commander-in-Chief and Head of State.”
In the preventative care section, the doctor wrote: “Preventative counseling was provided, including guidance on diet, recommendation to take a low-dose aspirin, increased physical activity, and continued weight loss.”
Barbabella described the president’s health as broadly normal, with his lab results generally within normal bounds.
He noted “scarring of the right ear consistent with prior gunshot injury,” a reference to the 2024 shooting at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania. The letter also says he has “soft tissue irritation” on his hands due to “frequent handshaking” and aspirin use, an explanation the White House has previously given for the discoloration on the president’s hands that is visible in some photos.
The doctor said the president had “slight lower leg swelling … with improvement from last year.” Last summer, after Mr. Trump was seen with swollen ankles, Barbabella said Mr. Trump had a “benign and common” condition called chronic venous insufficiency, which occurs when a patient’s leg veins struggle to bring blood to the heart.
He also said Mr. Trump’s cardiac age is “approximately 14 years younger than his chronological age,” an estimate that Barbabella also provided after the president’s October checkup.
He scored a 30 out of 30 — or “within normal limits” — on the Montreal Cognitive Assessment, a common test of cognitive health. The president has touted his results on the assessment for years, frequently boasting that he “aced” the test.