Back to news
Trump, 78, heads for first physical of presidency amid mystery over bruise on his hand
@Source: dailymail.co.uk
President Donald Trump is heading for his annual physical Friday and it will give the American people an official glimpse at the 78-year-old's health for the first time in nearly five years.
The physical at Walter Reed National Medical Center in Maryland is expected to be administered by Trump's new personal physician, Dr. Sean Barbabella, who has extensive combat trauma experience, from serving in both Afghanistan and Iraq.
Trump enters office older than Joe Biden was four years ago - and will set the record for the country's oldest president before he finishes his term in January 2029.
That means, like Biden, there will be added scrutiny about his health.
During the first physical of his first term - conducted on January 12, 2018 - Trump took the unprecedented step of sitting for a cognitive exam.
'As far as I know, no president has ever had a cognitive assessment as president of the United States,' said his White House physician, Dr. Ronny Jackson, at the time. 'If anybody is aware of it happening before, then they have information I don't have, because I looked pretty extensively.'
Jackson now represents Texas in Congress - and is a top Trump political ally.
He informed the briefing room that Trump scored a 30 out of 30 on the Montreal Cognitive Assessment.
'The reason that we did the cognitive assessment is, plain and simple, because the president asked me to do it,' Jackson said. 'He came to me and he said, is there something we can do - a test, or some type of screen that we can do - to assess my cognitive ability?'
A White House spokesperson did not respond to DailyMail.com's request for comment on whether Trump would sit for another cognitive test.
It could be difficult for him politically if he doesn't.
In early June 2024, Trump called on Biden to take a cognitive test - and that was before Biden's disastrous late June debate performance, which led to the Democrat dropping out of the presidential race.
The Republican nominee memorably called on Biden to take the test, while flubbing Jackson's name - calling him 'Ronny Johnson.'
Months before, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre was peppered with questions when Biden's 2024 annual physical did not include a cognitive test.
'The president does not need a cognitive test,' Jean-Pierre said, arguing that was Biden's doctor's assessment. 'He passes a cognitive test every day, every day,' she added.
After the bungled Atlanta debate, Jean-Pierre gave a similar answer saying Biden's doctors have said a cognitive test is 'not necessary.'
There have also been health questions raised around what appears to be a bruise on Trump's right hand, which is often covered up by makeup.
Some have alleged that it looks like a bruise left from an IV procedure.
In February the White House supplied an answer to DailyMail.com - the president has been getting bruised there from shaking so many hands.
Biden had a similar bruise on his left hand weeks before he left office, which still remains a mystery.
His White House was quick to answer a query when Biden was spotted with weird lines on his face - divulging he had been put on a CPAP machine in June 2023 to help with his sleep apnea.
One question that will definitely be answered from Trump's physical Friday is whether he's still considered obese.
The 6-foot-3 Trump weighed 239 pounds at his first physical, in January 2018, but then teetered into the obese category in 2019 at 243 pounds. At his 2020 physical Trump clocked in at 244 pounds.
In 2018, Jackson memorably explained how Trump, then 71, was still in such good health despite his love for McDonald's and Diet Cokes - and his refusal to exercise.
'It's called genetics, I don't know, some people have just great genes,' Jackson replied. 'I told the president if he had a healthier diet over the next 20 years he might live to be 200 years old.'
Jackson also attributed Trump's good health to the fact that he's never smoked nor consumed alcohol.
Cholesterol was an issue for the president, but it had gotten down to a healthy level by the time he had his June 2020 physical.
After that, however, Trump had a brush with death - as he was hospitalized at Walter Reed that October after contracting COVID-19.
That episode also showcased how the White House is selective about what health information is given to the American public.
A subsequent report in The New York Times, released in February 2021 after Trump left office, found that Trump was much sicker than the White House had let on, with officials believing he would need to be put on a ventilator.
Jackson's replacement, Dr. Sean Conley, painted such a sunny picture about Trump's condition that White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows tried to give a blind quote to the press pool, warning it was worse.
'The president’s vitals over the last 24 hours were very concerning, and the next 48 hours will be critical in terms of his care,' Meadows said. 'We're still not on a clear path to a full recovery.'
During Trump's 2024 campaign, which he launched in November 2022, he only offered one brief disclosure about his health - even following the July 13 assassination attempt in which a bullet grazed his ear.
On November 20, 2023 - the same day Biden turned 81 - Trump released a letter from his physician, Dr. Bruce Aronwald, a fixture at his Bedminster, New Jersey golf club.
The letter touted Trump's weight loss and said his health was 'excellent.'
Aronwald added that Trump's 'cognitive exams were exceptional.
Related News
22 Apr, 2025
Pampa Metals and Rugby Resources Enter I . . .
23 Apr, 2025
‘Happiness, love’ at Moonie mass wedding . . .
17 Feb, 2025
These are the best family-friendly hotel . . .
01 May, 2025
Instagram blocks accounts of Pakistani a . . .
29 Mar, 2025
Brazil manager Dorival Junior sacked aft . . .
11 Feb, 2025
Kanye West praises Kendrick Lamar’s Supe . . .
21 Apr, 2025
Spring Sports Stars: Who are the top sen . . .
09 Apr, 2025
Gary Stead stepping down as Black Caps w . . .