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Donald Trump visited the hospital again on Tuesday – once again for what was supposed to be a “routine” medical examination, as the White House announced. Trump spent the morning at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, where he received his “annual dental and health check.”
Very few people probably know this: The White House Medical Center has its own dentist who carries out routine treatments for former presidents and employees. The justification for Trump’s visit to Walter Reed nevertheless seemed particularly flimsy – the president had only had a dental appointment with his personal doctor in Florida at the beginning of the month, and the accumulation of health checks in his second term in office also gives cause for thought.
Everything went well, Trump assured. “Just completed my semi-annual health check at Walter Reed Military Medical Center,” the president wrote. “Everything was PERFECT. Thanks to the amazing doctors and staff! On the way back to the White House. President DJT.”
Three visits in one year
Trump has visited Walter Reed three times in just over a year. Next month he will celebrate his 80th birthday with a UFC event in front of the White House – and the questions about the health of the oldest president ever sworn in in American history are hard to ignore.
Over the weekend, Trump appeared at a Memorial Day celebration wearing the poorly blended blob of foundation on his hand that has become almost as ubiquitous as his American flag pin. The makeup is intended to hide bruises on the back of his hands, for which the White House has offered conflicting explanations – including shaking hands too often, a high dose of “large aspirin” and the claim that Trump bumped himself on tables in that exact spot.
In addition to the repeated health checks and the mysterious bruises, the aging president also appears to nod off in meetings and during public appearances. At the Memorial Day event at Arlington National Cemetery, Trump appeared to take a quick nap while Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth addressed the assembled crowd. The president is also said to have dozed during cabinet meetings, document signings and a number of public appointments and meetings in the Oval Office.
Cognitive testing and self-praise
Trump, who had long derided his predecessor as an old man unable to cope with the demands of the office, is now confronting his own rapid aging process – and insisting that all is well. Last week he bragged again about doing brilliantly on his cognitive tests. “The questions were tricky. They show a bear, a snake, an elephant and a horse – name the horse,” Trump recited as part of an oft-repeated routine intended to demonstrate his mental acuity.
In a statement to PBS News this week, the White House reiterated: “President Trump is the sharpest and most accessible president in American history, working tirelessly to solve problems and keep his promises, and he is in excellent health.”
Trump and the White House have a long history of gushing statements about the president’s health, both during his first term and since his return to office. In April 2025, the government released a health report that highlighted Trump’s “frequent golf tournament victories” and rated him as exceptionally healthy, except for a scar on his ear that was grazed by a bullet during the 2024 campaign.
Diagnoses and contradictions
Months later, in July, amid questions about persistent visible swelling on Trump’s legs, the White House acknowledged that he had been diagnosed with “chronic venous insufficiency” – a condition common in the elderly. In the fall, after conspiracy theories about serious illness or even death circulated on social media over Labor Day weekend, Trump wrote on Truth Social that he was alive and had “NEVER FELT BETTER.”
In October, the president visited Walter Reed again and boasted that he had aced another IQ test – although the actual test was a procedure commonly used to prevent dementia. He later revealed he had received a CT scan – after previously describing the procedure as an MRI.
The White House and Trump may insist he is in tip-top shape as he heads back to the hospital – but Americans have eyes in their heads, and clearly all is not right with the president.
