Washington (Somalia Today) —President Donald Trump is pushing back against growing scrutiny of his physical condition, admitting he often ignores his doctors’ advice on medication and exercise while insisting his health remains “perfect” thanks to superior genetics, The Wall Street Journal reports.
Now 79, and the oldest man ever to assume the US presidency, Trump continues to maintain a punishing schedule in his second term. Yet, in a candid admission to the Journal, the president acknowledged he takes a higher dosage of aspirin than recommended, refuses to wear compression socks for leg swelling because he dislikes them, and regrets undergoing “advanced imaging” because it sparked unwanted questions.
“In retrospect, it’s too bad I took it because it gave them a little ammunition,” Trump told the Journal regarding a cardiovascular scan he underwent in October, which the White House had previously described vaguely. “I would have been a lot better off if they didn’t… Well, nothing’s wrong.”
While Trump and his physician, Navy Captain Sean Barbabella, maintain he is fit for duty, the president’s rejection of standard medical guidance and visible signs of aging—including bruising, hearing difficulties, and appearing to doze off at events—have reignited the national debate on gerontocracy that dominated the 2024 election.
Ignoring medical advice
Central to the tension between the president and his medical team is his daily aspirin intake. Trump revealed to the WSJ that he takes 325 milligrams daily for “cardiac prevention,” a standard adult tablet, despite his doctors urging him to lower the dose to the more common 81 milligrams.
“They say aspirin is good for thinning out the blood, and I don’t want thick blood pouring through my heart,” Trump reasoned in the interview. “I want nice, thin blood pouring through my heart. Does that make sense?”
However, the medical community has shifted its stance on aspirin use in recent years. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force updated its guidelines in 2022 to recommend against starting low-dose aspirin for primary prevention of heart disease in adults 60 or older, citing a risk of internal bleeding that often outweighs the benefits.
Trump admitted to the Journal that the high dosage has caused him to bruise easily—a side effect he attempts to conceal with makeup. He noted that he is “a little superstitious” about changing a regimen he has maintained for 25 years.
This stubbornness extends to treating “chronic venous insufficiency,” a condition causing leg swelling that his doctors diagnosed in July.
While ultrasounds at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center confirmed the issue—caused when veins struggle to send blood from the legs back to the heart—Trump told the outlet he abandoned the prescribed compression socks shortly after trying them.
“I didn’t like them,” he said simply.
‘Advanced imaging’ confusion
Transparency regarding presidential health has been a recurring flashpoint in US history, from Woodrow Wilson’s concealed stroke to John F. Kennedy’s secret management of Addison’s disease. Trump’s second term has seen similar opacity.
For weeks, the president claimed he underwent an MRI in October. Under questioning from the Journal, however, both he and Dr. Barbabella clarified that it was actually a CT scan—a faster procedure that uses X-rays —whereas an MRI uses magnetic fields and radio waves to produce detailed soft-tissue images.
“It wasn’t an MRI,” Trump corrected, adding, “it was less than that. It was a scan.”
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt defended the discrepancy, noting that the administration used the umbrella term “advanced imaging.” Dr. Barbabella stated in a statement to The Wall Street Journal that the scan was performed “to definitively rule out any cardiovascular issues” and showed no abnormalities.
Visible signs of aging
Despite the clean bill of health, insiders describe a president showing the wear of age. Trump’s skin has become delicate; he recently suffered a cut on his hand when Attorney General Pam Bondi’s ring grazed him during a high-five.
Trump dismissed the injury as a “slight little cut” but admitted to the WSJ that he applies makeup to his hands to hide such marks.
More concerning to aides are instances in which the president appears to struggle to hear or stay awake. During a September dinner with tech executives, Trump had to have a question about Russian President Vladimir Putin repeated by his wife, Melania, after failing to hear a reporter.
Furthermore, cameras caught him with his eyes closed during a December cabinet meeting and a November event on weight-loss drugs. Trump vehemently denied falling asleep during the interview.
“I’ll just close. It’s very relaxing to me,” he said, claiming photographers unfairly capture him mid-blink. “I’ve never been a big sleeper.”
Trump’s lifestyle remains starkly at odds with modern wellness trends. He continues to view exercise as “boring,” rejecting treadmills in favor of golf. His diet remains rich in sodium and saturated fats.
Republican National Committee Chairman Joe Gruters recounted a campaign flight where Trump consumed two burgers, a fish sandwich, and fries in a single sitting.
Current medical consensus links such diets to elevated cardiovascular risk, particularly in older adults. Trump, however, relies on rosuvastatin and ezetimibe to manage his cholesterol, according to medical reports cited by the Journal.
His work habits also defy standard advice for octogenarians. He reportedly stays up until 2:00 a.m., calling aides and watching cable news, a habit that has forced staff to work in shifts to keep him company aboard Air Force One.
Comparisons to Biden
The scrutiny of Trump’s health echoes the intense focus on his predecessor, Joe Biden. Trump frequently attacked Biden—who was five months younger upon taking office than Trump was in 2025—for his frailty and verbal stumbles.
Now, Trump faces similar questions. While he remains more omnipresent than Biden, fielding frequent impromptu press questions, his rhetoric often veers tangentially, and factual errors are common.
Dr. Mehmet Oz, the current administrator for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, defended the president’s cognitive state.
“I can’t even think of a single time where he said something where I don’t think he understands the issue,” Oz told the Journal, emphasizing that while Trump’s decisions might be arguable, his approach remains “very rational.”
The White House also provided the Journal with a summary of an AI-assisted analysis of Trump’s electrocardiogram from the Mayo Clinic, which estimated his “cardiac age” to be 65—fourteen years younger than his chronological age.
For Trump, the ultimate defense remains his lineage. “Genetics are very important,” he insisted in the interview. “And I have very good genetics.”
