Trump, America's oldest president, completes ‘semiannual’ physical before West Asia visit

US President Donald Trump underwent what he described as a “semiannual physical” at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Centre on Friday. The visit, which took place on Friday, was announced by the White House earlier this week. The health checkup of the oldest person ever to be elected as the American president came as Trump is preparing to travel to the Middle East.

The White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt described it as a “routine yearly checkup”, although the president had his annual physical in April this year. According to The Guardian, the American leader left the White House at about 10:45 am (local time) on Friday and returned to the grounds at 2:15 pm (local time).

He did not answer any questions from reporters upon his arrival, and the White House has not indicated exactly when it would release the results of the medical examination. The White House also refused to explain why Trump was getting a yearly checkup at Walter Reed, which is in Bethesda, Maryland, six months after his annual exam.

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However, in an exchange with reporters on Thursday, the Republican president said it was a “semiannual physical”. “I’m meeting with the troops, and I’m also going to do a sort of semiannual physical, which I do,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. “I think I’m in great shape, but I’ll let you know.”

Trump’s health remains a concern

It is pertinent to note that Trump’s April physical found that he was “fully fit” to serve as commander in chief. The three-page summary of the exam done by his doctor, Navy Capt Sean Barbabella, said he had lost 20lb (9kg) since a medical exam in June 2020 and that he had an “active lifestyle” that “continues to contribute significantly” to the well-being of the 79-year-old president.

Since his April medical examination, Trump was diagnosed with chronic venous insufficiency, a condition that can cause swelling, as the president has experienced in his legs and is common in older adults. Trump’s physician was forced to address growing concerns over bruising on the president’s hand, attributing it to irritation caused by frequent handshaking and his use of aspirin as a standard cardiovascular prevention regimen.

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The explanation came after recent images of a purplish bruise on Trump’s hand, which appeared to have been covered with makeup, fueled online speculation that the president was ill. When Leavitt discussed the results of the American leader’s chronic venous insufficiency diagnosis from the briefing room, she made it clear that the White House was disclosing the matter to dispel speculations over the president’s health.