White House releases results of Donald Trump's physical amid mounting pressure

By NIKKI SCHWAB, CHIEF CAMPAIGN CORRESPONDENT and STEPHEN M. LEPORE, US SENIOR REPORTER Published: 04:10, 30 May 2026 | Updated: 04:29, 30 May 2026 Donald Trump 'remains in excellent health,' according to a summary of his most recent physical at Walter Reed Medical Center. The President received good marks from Captain Sean P Barbabella, whose findings were released late Friday amid mounting speculation over Trump's health. 'President Trump remains in excellent health, demonstrating strong cardiac, pulmonary, neurological, and overall physical function,' Barbabella wrote.  'His demanding daily schedule, including multiple high-level meetings, public engagements, and regular physical activity, continues to support his overall well-being. Cognitive and physical performance are excellent. 'He is fully fit to carry out all duties of the Commander-in-Chief and Head of State,' he added. Trump visited Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on Tuesday morning. The delayed results prompted questions about whether the White House was sitting on bad news.  But that afternoon, as he returned to the White House, Trump boasted that he was in perfect health.  'Just finished my 6 month physical at Walter Reed Military Medical Center. Everything checked out PERFECTLY,' the President posted to Truth Social from the motorcade. 'Thank you to the great Doctors and Staff! Heading back to the White House.' President Donald Trump has been subject to bruising (left), which doctors blame on his aspirin regimen and shaking hands too vigorously and had a visible rash on his neck in March (right), which was caused by a medicated cream used for a preventive skin treatment In July, President Donald Trump was diagnosed with chronic venous insufficiency, an explanation for why his ankles had suddenly started to look swollen However Friday's report did disclose that the president had gained 17lb weight since his last physical in April 2025. 'Preventive counseling was provided, including guidance on diet, recommendation to take a low-dose aspirin, increased physical activity, and continued weight loss,' the report reads. The checkup came just weeks before Trump turned 80, and as mysterious bruises continued to raise health concerns about the man who will set the record for the country's oldest President before he finishes out his second term.  It also came as former President Joe Biden's fitness for office was back in the news.  Former First Lady Jill Biden told CBS Sunday Morning that she feared her husband was having a 'stroke' during his disastrous June 2024 debate against Trump. She pushed that she had 'never ever seen Joe like that before or since.' Biden's inner circle has been under fire since he dropped out of the 2024 race, with Democrats losing the presidential election, for hiding what many allege was a deteriorating health condition.  His poor debate performance was a turning point, leading him to drop out three weeks later.   Biden was diagnosed with Stage 4 testicular cancer four months after leaving the White House, with Trump pushing that the Democrat kept a manor health issue under wraps while in office, an assertion that his medical team and former aides deny. Now similar questions are swirling around about Trump.  President Donald Trump is captured departing the White House Tuesday morning to travel to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center for his annual physical  President Donald Trump's motorcade is seen driving to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland on Tuesday morning  The White House has said his near-constant hand bruising is a combination of shaking too many hands and the President's daily aspirin regimen. His swollen ankles were due to chronic venous insufficiency, White House Physician Dr. Sean Barbabella said in July.  The White House has mocked reporters for pointing out that Trump has appeared to fall asleep during daytime events, a move they attribute to the 79-year-old President being an active listener.   Trump went to Walter Reed for the first physical of his second term last April, but also stoked speculation that something could be wrong when he returned to the military medical facility in October.  He told reporters he had a 'perfect MRI,' which Barbabella had to correct and say was a CT scan to rule out any cardiovascular or abdominal health issues.  Barbabella also said at the time that the President was in 'excellent overall health.'   Others in Trump's circle have attempted to hype up his health.  'Dr. Oz looked at his medical records and said he's got the highest testosterone level that he's ever seen for an individual over 70 years old,' Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr recently boasted on an episode of the Katie Miller podcast. President Donald Trump is seen in the back of the Beast as he traveled to Walter Reed Tuesday for his physical  The comments were reminiscent of Representative Ronny Jackson, then serving as Trump's White House doctor, who said in 2018 that the President must have 'incredible genes.'  'I told the President that if he had a healthier diet over the last 20 years, he might live to be 200 years old,' Jackson said at the time.  Presidents do not legally have to release information about their health.  That means the health assessments that are released often paint a rosier picture than what's actually going on.  For instance, when Trump got sick with COVID-19 in 2020, weeks before the presidential election, his White House Physician, Dr. Sean Conley, gave upbeat briefings to the press on the President's prognosis. At the same time, Trump's Chief of Staff Mark Meadows told reporters on-background that the President's condition was much more serious than Conley let on. During the 2024 campaign cycle, Trump largely escaped old-age questions because he appeared so vigorous in comparison to Biden, but a year and a half into his second term, it appears some concerns are resonating with the American public.  He's lost ground on how Americans perceive both his mental and physical health in recent surveys.  A Washington Post/ABC News/Ipsos survey from April found that just 40 percent of Americans believe Trump has the mental sharpness to serve as President, down from the 47 percent he scored in September.  Last month, 44 percent said Trump was fit enough to do the job, down from 54 percent in September.  During last Friday's campaign rally in New York, Trump told the elongated version of the story he tells about acing a cognitive test.  'And don't you want to have a smart person as President?' Trump asked. 'I said, doctor, I don't mind being called a brilliant total tyrant dictator, but I don't want to be called dumb. What do I do, doctor? Is there some kind of test I can take?'  Trump scored a 30 out of 30 on the Montreal Cognitive Assessment during last year's physical.   The comments below have not been moderated. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.