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President Donald Trump pushed back this week against questions about his health and stamina, telling The Wall Street Journal that he does not fall asleep during meetings and that visible bruising on his hands is caused by his long-term use of high-dose aspirin.
“They say aspirin is good for thinning out the blood, and I don’t want thick blood pouring through my heart,” Trump said in an interview published Thursday. He acknowledged taking a higher dose than his doctors typically recommend and said it has caused bruising that he sometimes covers with makeup.
“I take the larger one, but I’ve done it for years, and what it does do is it causes bruising,” Trump said.
Trump’s physician, Navy Capt. Sean Barbabella, confirmed to the Journal that the president takes 325 milligrams of aspirin daily for “cardiac prevention.” Aspirin acts as an anticoagulant, reducing the risk of blood clots but increasing susceptibility to bruising and bleeding.
At 79, Trump is the oldest president ever sworn into office, a distinction that has sharpened public scrutiny of his physical condition — scrutiny that intensified after multiple instances in which he appeared to doze off during meetings and public events.
Trump rejected those characterizations, saying he was merely resting his eyes.
“I’ll just close. It’s very relaxing to me,” he said. “Sometimes they’ll take a picture of me blinking, blinking, and they’ll catch me with the blink.”
The White House has also faced questions over advanced imaging Trump underwent last fall. In October, officials disclosed that the president had received a CT scan, fueling speculation about potential health concerns. Trump told the Journal that, in hindsight, he regretted agreeing to the test.
“In retrospect, it’s too bad I took it because it gave them a little ammunition,” Trump said. “The fact that I took it said, ‘Oh gee, is something wrong?’ Well, nothing’s wrong.”
Barbabella said the imaging was recommended while Trump was visiting Walter Reed National Military Medical Center and was intended to rule out cardiovascular issues. He said the scan showed no abnormalities.
“President Trump’s medical evaluations and laboratory results continue to show excellent metabolic health,” Barbabella said in a statement to NBC News. “His cardiovascular health puts him 14 years younger than his age.”
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt defended the administration’s handling of Trump’s medical disclosures, saying the president has been “the most transparent and open president in history” regarding his health.
Barbabella also disclosed that Trump has been diagnosed with superficial chronic venous insufficiency, a condition that caused swelling in his lower legs earlier this year. Trump said he briefly wore compression socks but stopped because he disliked them.
The president’s sensitivity to health-related criticism comes after age and cognitive decline became central issues in the 2024 election. Former President Joe Biden ultimately withdrew from the race following a widely panned debate performance against Trump, though he remained in office until the end of his term.
Now, Trump appears eager to prevent similar doubts from attaching to his own presidency.
“Let’s talk about health again for the 25th time,” Trump said. “My health is perfect.”
At the same time, Trump acknowledged scaling back his schedule, asking aides to limit meetings so he can focus on what he considers the most important work. According to the Journal, Trump typically arrives at the Oval Office around 10 a.m. and works into the early evening.
Trump also reiterated that he does not engage in formal exercise beyond playing golf.
“I just don’t like it. It’s boring,” he said. “To walk on a treadmill or run on a treadmill for hours and hours like some people do — that’s not for me.”
