“My health is perfect”. Aspirin and circulation problems, makeup and a passion for fast food, allergies to exercise and ‘faltering’ hearing. Donald Trump agrees to talk (almost) without filters about his health in an interview with the Wall Street Journal. The 79-year-old president of the United States, the oldest to assume office, addresses a series of topics including explanations, admissions and some dribbling. The health of the most powerful man in the world has come under the spotlight in particular in recent months after a specific examination to which the number 1 in the White House underwent.
The mysterious exam
“In retrospect, it wasn’t appropriate because I gave an excuse. It would have been better, they started saying is there something wrong? There’s nothing wrong“, says Trump referring to the extra checks compared to the traditional check up.
The president initially referred to an MRI. In reality, it was another test, comparable to a CT scan, to verify the correct functioning of the cardiovascular system. “It wasn’t an MRI, it was a quicker test.” The president’s physician, Dr. Sean Barbabella, confirmed that the patient underwent a ‘CT scan’ “to definitively exclude any cardiovascular problem”.
Aspirin and makeup
Trump has been taking the same dose of aspirin every day for about 25 years to prevent circulatory problems. The doctors advised him to reduce the dose, but the president does not change his habits: “I’m a bit superstitious”, he says. “Aspirin is good for thinning the blood. I don’t want thick blood going to the heart. I want nice thin blood. Makes sense, right?” Trump takes a dose of 325 milligrams per day. Per the Mayo Clinic, it could drop to 81 milligrams, the standard dose.
The signs of old age, according to the WSJ, are increasingly evident. The newspaper reports that during the convention in Milwaukee last year, Trump’s hand began to bleed: a slight contact with the ring of Pam Bondi, the current attorney general, was enough to cause an injury. “The dose of aspirin causes bruises” on the hands, says the president. In the convention, “the ring hit the back of my hand and there was a slight cut.” This is not an isolated incident and that is why the president applies makeup to your hands: “I have an easy one to use, it takes 10 seconds“.
Woe to those who sleep
Trump’s day starts early at the White House, work begins before the president descends around 10 a.m. into the Oval Office, where he typically stays until 7 or 8 p.m., absent any events or travel. The staff was asked to review the agenda to prioritize appointments and conversations of primary importance: a change dictated by the need to be more efficient and not linked to advancing age. The president accepted the suggestion to spend the Christmas holidays in Florida, where he will remain for about 2 weeks. He can relax, but he doesn’t sleep much.
He often texts co-workers at 2 in the morning. “I’ve never been much of a sleeper,” he says. For this reason, on long flights on Air Force One, the staff must adapt: there is always someone ready to interact with the president even at nightwhile other collaborators rest. On a couple of occasions, in the Oval Office, Trump was ‘caught’ with his eyes closed: tiredness? Collapse? “I just close them to relax. Sometimes they take a photo and shoot while I close my eyes.” The solution? The staff recommends avoiding such a ‘method’ of relaxation.
Chapter heard: is it true that you can’t hear very well? “Only when many people talk at the same time,” he says, trying to defuse the case, which arose in particular during a press conference in September. On that occasion, Trump needed his wife Melania to repeat the question posed by a journalist to him. For Dr. Barbabella, the president’s hearing “is normal.”
Exercise? Not even by idea
A full-blown health problem is linked to age. The president has to live with chronic venous insufficiency, which causes swelling in his legs, as documented by photos and videos at public events. Trump for a time wore graduated compression stockings. Then, he took them off: “I didn’t like them”he tells the WSJ. The situation apparently has improved because the president tries to walk more throughout the day.
Regular exercise would be helpful, but the issue seems out of the question: “I don’t like it, it’s boring. Walking on a treadmill for hours on end, like some people do, is not for me.” So, just golf: otherwise, no movement. Drugs to control cholesterol become even more important, considering the diet which also includes junk food. The testimony of Joe Gruters, president of the Republican National Committee, on a podcast remains on record: during the election campaign, Trump went ahead with french fries and Big Macs. “Genetics are important – the president’s response – and I have excellent genetics”.
 everything){kind=link}