WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump underwent his annual physical examination on Friday and remarked, “I did well,” while praising his own heart, soul, and cognitive capabilities. He mentioned that the medical reports from the White House doctors might not be available until the weekend.
The 78-year-old, who made history as the oldest person to be inaugurated as president in January, spent nearly five hours at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center undergoing what he described as “every test you can imagine.”
“I was there for a long time,” Trump stated. “I think I did very well.”
READ MORE: Trump is scheduled for his annual checkup. He has a history of keeping his medical information confidential.
Despite persistently questioning former President Joe Biden’s physical and mental fitness, Trump has often kept essential details about his own health under wraps, avoiding the usual transparency expected from presidents regarding medical matters. He expressed confidence that the doctor’s report regarding his recent physical would be ready by Sunday — although past instances suggest it might include little more than praise with few details.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt stated that while Trump was still being examined, a “readout from the White House physician” concerning his health would be released “as soon as we possibly can,” indicating that it would be thorough.
Following his examination, Trump boarded Air Force One to travel to Florida for the weekend. While speaking to reporters during the flight, he mentioned that doctors had given him “a little bit” of advice on lifestyle changes to improve his health, but he did not elaborate on those suggestions.
“Overall, I felt I was in very good shape. A good heart, a good soul, a very good soul,” Trump declared. He also highlighted that he had taken a cognitive test. “All I can say is I got every answer right,” he noted.
He suggested that undergoing mental acuity screening was “what the American people want” and criticized his predecessor, asserting, “Biden refused to take it.”
The forthcoming medical report will be the first public update on Trump’s health since an assassination attempt against him in Butler, Pennsylvania, back in July.
Instead of releasing medical records at that time, Texas Rep. Ronny Jackson, a strong ally who previously served as Trump’s White House physician and once joked that Trump could live to 200 with a better diet, provided a memo that described a gunshot wound to Trump’s right ear.
In a subsequent CBS interview last August, Trump claimed he would “very gladly” release his medical records, though that has yet to happen.
Trump is three years younger than Biden. However, by the time of his second inauguration in January, Trump was five months older than Biden was during his 2021 swearing-in, making Trump the oldest president to assume office in U.S. history.
Presidents possess privacy rights regarding their medical records similar to those of ordinary citizens, allowing them discretion over what information is made public. Nevertheless, annual physicals often play a crucial role in presenting the public with an insight into the president’s health.
Trump has consistently opted to share minimal substantive details regarding his health. Prior to Jackson’s memo, the last time the public received significant information was in November 2023, when Dr. Bruce A. Aronwald issued a letter alongside Biden’s 81st birthday, stating that Trump was in “excellent” physical and mental health.
The letter, which was shared on Trump’s social media platform, lacked basic information such as the Republican’s weight, blood pressure, cholesterol levels, or test results. Instead, Aronwald noted that he had examined Trump that fall and found his “physical exams were well within the normal range, and his cognitive exams were exceptional,” while mentioning Trump had “reduced his weight.”
Trump was treated at Walter Reed, situated in Bethesda, Maryland, outside Washington, for his serious illness with the coronavirus in 2020. During that period, the prognosis provided by his physician was quite optimistic, although White House chief of staff Mark Meadows remarked that some of Trump’s vital signs were “very concerning.”
Once Trump recovered, additional information surfaced indicating he had been more ill than he had disclosed.
In November 2019, Trump’s visit to Walter Reed for a physical was not included in his public schedule, breaking the White House protocol of giving prior public notice for such appointments.
This visit was revealed three days later, with Trump stating that he had undergone a “very routine physical.” The White House subsequently released a statement from the president’s then-personal physician, U.S. Navy Cmdr. Sean Conley, clarifying it had been a “planned interim checkup” kept “off the record” due to scheduling uncertainties.
One of Trump’s most notable comments regarding his health occurred during a July 2020 television interview, where he recited “Person. Woman. Man. Camera. TV” in an attempt to showcase his cognitive abilities.
According to Trump, remembering that collection of five nouns correctly was indicative of mental fitness and a part of a cognitive test he had passed. When asked about the test again on Air Force One Friday, he commented, “It’s a pretty well known test.”
“Whatever it is, I got every one — I got it all right,” he stated.
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