White House doctor assesses Trump’s health
US President Donald Trump remains in “excellent cognitive and physical health,” White House physician Captain Sean Barbabella has said.
On Friday, Trump underwent the first physical of his second presidential term at a hospital in Bethesda, Maryland, which included a five-hour medical examination, blood work and a cognitive test.
The results of the check-up have shown the 78-year-old president to be “fully fit” for the job, Barbabella said in a memorandum on Sunday.
”President Trump remains in excellent health, exhibiting robust cardiac, pulmonary, neurological, and general physical function,” the memo read.
The US leader’s “active lifestyle,” which includes meetings, public appearances and “frequent victories in golf events,” has contributed significantly to his well-being, the doctor stressed.
Trump currently weighs 224 pounds (101.6kg) and is 75 inches (190cm) tall. His resting heart rate is 62 beats per minute and his blood pressure is 128/74 mmHg, the memo said.
During the examination, he was also found to have scarring “on the right ear from a gunshot wound” as a result of an attempt on his life last July, it added.
According to Barbabella, the president had “minor sun damage” and several “benign skin lesions.”
Trump scored 30 out of 30 in the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), which is commonly used to detect cognitive decline and early signs of dementia, the memo said. The 10-minute test contains such tasks as drawing a clock, naming animals, recalling words after a delay of five minutes, and others.
Speaking to journalists aboard Air Force One on Saturday, Trump insisted that he “got every answer right” on the cognitive test.
“Overall, I felt I was in very good shape. A good heart, a good soul, a very good soul,” he said.
The president added that he had received “a little bit” of advice from the doctor on lifestyle changes to improve his health, but did not reveal any further details.
Trump had repeatedly questioned the cognitive and physical health of previous US President Joe Biden, who left the White House at age 82.
Biden had refused to undergo a cognitive test after his poor performance in a debate last June. A month later, he withdrew from the presidential race, and was replaced by his Vice President Kamala Harris, whom Trump had defeated.
