On Friday, President Donald Trump underwent his annual physical, after which he expressed satisfaction with his performance, complimenting his heart, soul, and cognitive abilities. Reports from his White House doctors, however, were not expected to be available until the weekend.
At 78 years old, Trump became the oldest individual to be sworn in as president of the U.S. in January. He spent nearly five hours at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, where he described participating in “every test imaginable.” Trump emphasized the length of his visit and shared his belief that he performed “very well.”
Despite often questioning the physical and mental capabilities of his predecessor, Joe Biden, Trump has regularly withheld basic health information about himself, straying from the tradition of presidential transparency in medical matters. He expected the doctor’s report on his physical to be ready by Sunday, although historically such reports have lacked detail.
Karoline Leavitt, White House press secretary, indicated that a comprehensive “readout from the White House physician” would be shared at the earliest possible time, pending the completion of Trump’s examination.
Following his checkup, Trump immediately boarded Air Force One to travel to Florida for the weekend. He told reporters during the flight that medical professionals provided minor lifestyle advice for health improvements, though he did not provide specific details.
Trump stated that overall, he believed he was in good condition, citing “a good heart, a good soul.” He confirmed that he had taken a cognitive test and received a perfect score. He suggested that mental acuity testing was something the American public desired and criticized Biden for refusing to undergo such evaluation.
The forthcoming medical report would mark the first public disclosure of Trump’s health since an assassination attempt against him in Butler, Pennsylvania, in July. Instead of releasing medical records at that time, Texas Representative Ronny Jackson, an avid supporter who previously served as his White House physician, issued a memo regarding a gunshot wound to Trump’s right ear.
In an interview with CBS last August, Trump promised to release his medical records but subsequently did not do so.
Although Trump is four years younger than Biden, he was five months older than Biden was in his 2021 inauguration, making Trump the oldest president inaugurated in U.S. history during his second term.
Presidents have privacy rights with medical records, allowing discretion in disclosure of medical information. Traditionally, annual physicals provide the public with insights into a president’s health status.
Trump has consistently chosen to release minimal substantive health details. Prior to Jackson’s memo, the public had not received significant health information since November 2023. At that time, Dr. Bruce A. Aronwald issued a letter coinciding with Biden’s 81st birthday, asserting Trump was in “excellent” physical and mental condition, noting weight reduction, but omitting specifics such as weight, blood pressure, cholesterol levels, or test results.
Trump was treated at Walter Reed in 2020 for a severe bout with COVID-19. At that time, his physician presented a positive outlook, though Mark Meadows, then White House Chief of Staff, remarked on concerning vital signs. More details about Trump’s severity of illness surfaced after his recovery.
In November 2019, Trump’s visit to Walter Reed for a physical was not included in his public schedule, in deviation from White House norms of advance public notifications for such visits. This visit was later revealed, with Trump referring to it as a “very routine physical.” The White House subsequently released a statement from his then-personal physician, U.S. Navy Cmdr. Sean Conley, describing it as a “planned interim checkup” kept confidential for scheduling reasons.
Trump’s most notable comments on his health were made during a July 2020 television interview when he demonstrated his cognitive abilities by listing “Person. Woman. Man. Camera. TV,” which he claimed proved mental fitness as part of a cognitive test he excelled in. Discussing the test again on Air Force One, Trump confirmed his perfect score.
This report was originally published on Fortune.com.
