(WASHINGTON) — President Donald Trump undergoes his annual physical at Walter Reed Medical Center on Friday, marking his first such exam of his second term.
“I have never felt better, but nevertheless, these things must be done!” Trump, who became the oldest president to be sworn into office at 78, posted on Truth Social earlier in the week.
The public hasn’t been provided a detailed look into Trump’s health since 2018 and, during the 2024 presidential campaign, he didn’t provide any details about his health despite numerous promises to do so.
It is not clear whether the White House will provide an update after Friday’s exam, but details about Trump’s medical history have been disclosed in the past.
What Trump’s last official presidential checkup revealed
In the January 2018 evaluation, Trump appeared to be in “excellent” cardiovascular shape for his age, according to then-White House physician Dr. Ronny Jackson, who administered Trump’s nearly four-hour physical exam at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center said.
The president’s medical issues were limited to high cholesterol, rosacea (a benign skin disease) and being considered “overweight,” as measured by the body mass index (BMI).
Trump’s LDL cholesterol level was 143 and total cholesterol level was 223, higher than the recommended total of 200. The LDL cholesterol, in particular, is significantly higher than the recommended level of 100.
His BMI – or body mass index – is calculated at 29.9, using the National Institutes of Health calculator, which is just shy of the obesity classification, which starts with a score of 30.
The 2018 report said the president takes a cholesterol-lowering drug called rosuvastatin, and because his cholesterol level was a little high, Jackson increased the dosage.
Trump was also taking finasteride for male-pattern hair loss. That medication can also be used to treat prostate issues at higher doses.
Trump also takes aspirin daily to prevent heart disease, a multivitamin and applies a cream called ivermectin, as needed, to treat skin condition rosacea.
At Trump’s urging, his physician conducted a brief screening test called the Montreal Cognitive Assessment. Jackson claimed Trump had a perfect 30/30 score.
COVID hospitalization
In October 2020, Trump was hospitalized after he contracted COVID-19. Then White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows said that Trump had a fever and his blood oxygen level had dropped rapidly.
Sources with knowledge of the situation told ABC News that Trump was having trouble breathing and was given supplemental oxygen.
Doctors gave Trump an experimental course of monoclonal antibodies and steroids to treat him and he returned to the White House after three days
Trump’s health post 1st term
Other than the letters from Jackson, the most recent revelation of Trump’s health was a three-paragraph letter from his personal physician Bruce Aronwald of Morristown Medical Group, in which the doctor wrote that Trump’s “overall health is excellent.”
“His physical exams were well within the normal range and his cognitive exams were exceptional,” Aronwald wrote. “In addition, his most recent extensive laboratory analysis remains well within normal limits and was even more favorable than prior testing in some of the most significant parameters, most likely secondary to weight reduction.”
The doctor further explained that Trump’s cardiovascular studies were “all normal” and cancer screening tests were “all negative,” claiming Trump had lost weight through “an improved diet and continued daily physical activity.”
Butler assassination attempt
On July 13, gunfire erupted at a Trump campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, killing Trump supporter Corey Comperatore and wounding Trump and six others, according to investigators.
Trump’s former White House physician, GOP Rep. Ronny Jackson, released a letter claiming that he had personally reviewed Trump’s medical records from Butler Memorial Hospital, which Jackson claimed showed the former president was treated for a “Gunshot Wound to the Right Ear.”
Jackson also confirmed that Trump underwent a precautionary CT scan while in Butler.
The Trump campaign, however, would not release the records that Jackson claimed to have reviewed.
Trump shared another letter from Jackson, detailing Trump’s ear injury and its healing process — claiming he’s doing “well” and recovering “as expected.”
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