Trump's health memo says he is fit, but bruises raise questions

Donald Trump’s physician said the president was in “excellent health” after a May 26 visit to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland, but the hand bruises and slight leg swelling visible to the public kept the bigger question alive: how much can Americans really learn from a health memo that passes through the White House first? Trump is 79 and turns 80 on June 14, making him the oldest person elected president. The visit was his third in-person medical checkup in 13 months and his fourth publicly disclosed exam since he returned to office for a second term.

Dr. Sean Barbabella’s memo said Trump was “fully fit to carry out all duties of the Commander-in-Chief.” It said neurological screening came back at 30 out of 30, his weight was 238 pounds, and his resting heart rate was 73 beats per minute. The memo said testing of cardiac function, eye health, pulmonary function and neurological function was within normal limits. It also said routine cancer screenings, cardiovascular risk assessment and metabolic evaluations were current and within recommended intervals. The report said Trump takes medication for cholesterol control and cardiac prevention, and that his eye exam was normal. An ear, nose and throat exam was normal except for scarring on his right ear, consistent with a prior gunshot injury.

The White House said the bruising on Trump’s hand was consistent with minor soft tissue irritation from frequent handshaking in the setting of aspirin use for cardiovascular prevention. That explanation did little to quiet the attention on the broader picture, especially after officials said in July 2025 that Trump had been diagnosed with chronic venous insufficiency after testing for lower-leg swelling. At the time, the White House said there was no evidence of deep vein thrombosis or arterial disease and described the condition as benign and common in people over 70. The new memo said the slight lower-leg swelling was an improvement from last year.

The episode also highlighted the narrow transparency standard that now governs presidential health. There is no formal law requiring presidents to publish their medical records, and administrations typically release only selected results filtered through the White House and approved by the president. That gap matters when public confidence is already strained: a Washington Post/ABC News/Ipsos poll in April found that less than half of U.S. adults thought Trump had the mental sharpness or physical health to serve effectively. Jeffrey Kuhlman, a former White House physician, said that for a president of Trump’s age, a complete physical would be expected to include advanced heart testing, screening for common cancers and a cognitive assessment. Trump has repeatedly insisted he is in excellent health, and after the May 26 visit said everything checked out perfectly.