For months, President Donald Trump has faced concerns about his age and health. A recent interview Trump gave to one of the leading conservative-leaning newspapers seems to have been intended to downplay those concerns. Instead, Trump’s revelations about managing his health have added to worries and speculation about his well-being and fitness.
Trump talks about defying doctors’ advice and dismisses health concerns
The Wall Street Journal recently interviewed Trump for an article published by the conservative-leaning paper on Thursday. In the interview, focused on the president’s health, Trump mentioned several instances of seemingly going against his doctors’ advice. When asked about mysterious bruising that has appeared on his hands several times, Trump claimed this was the result of him taking greater daily doses of aspirin than what his doctors have recommended.
“They say aspirin is good for thinning out the blood, and I don’t want thick blood pouring through my heart,” Trump explained. “I want nice, thin blood pouring through my heart. Does that make sense?”
He attributed his continuing use of aspirin, also admitted to being “superstitious,” and admitted to using makeup to cover the discolorations on his hand.
Trump also told his interviewer he had stopped wearing compression socks to manage swelling of his legs and ankles. Such swelling is associated with chronic venous insufficiency, a condition Trump was diagnosed with earlier this year. Trump stopped wearing the suggested socks, he explained, because “I didn’t like them.” The president also admitted that other than golf, which he frequently plays, often at one of the several courses he owns, he finds exercise “boring.” Trump also said he hadn’t changed his diet, which has previously been reported as including large amounts of McDonald’s fast food. Trump dismissed medical concerns, calling his health “perfect.”
Trump contradicts previous statements and video evidence
Trump’s in-depth discussion of his health also created apparent contradictions with previous information. He told The Wall Street Journal he hadn’t undergone an MRI exam in October, as he had stated in the past, but rather a CT scan, a different diagnostic test. Trump expressed regret at having the examination performed.
“In retrospect, it’s too bad I took it because it gave them a little ammunition,” he said. “I would have been a lot better off if they didn’t, because the fact that I took it said, ‘Oh gee, is something wrong?’ Well, nothing’s wrong.” His physician, Navy Capt. Sean Barbabella, confirmed that the exam administered was a CT scan, and “the advanced imaging was perfectly normal and revealed absolutely no abnormalities.”
Trump also claimed he hadn’t fallen asleep during several recent meetings and events, despite many people questioning his stamina and fitness due to his apparent inability to stay awake. Trump instead claimed that cameras caught him “blinking” in images that showed his eyes closed during meetings. This explanation defies video footage of him appearing to doze off during events such as a recent cabinet meeting.
The president’s blinking excuse has been met with widespread skepticism and multiple social media posts displaying pictures of Trump slumped over with his eyes closed during meetings.
Overall, Trump’s remarks to The Wall Street Journal have done little to quell concerns about his health and age. Instead, his admissions of going against medical advice, changing narrative concerning recent medical tests and questionable explanations for his struggles to stay awake have all added to the scrutiny of his health. As Trump approaches the record for the oldest president in U.S. history, such concerns are likely to continue, and Trump will have to produce more satisfying responses if he wants these questions to go away.