Trump on Friday sought to dismiss questions about his fitness for office, saying he is in perfect health and has passed a cognitive test for the third time, a day after renewed scrutiny over his well-being.
US President Donald Trump on Friday asserted that he is in perfect health, saying he has passed a cognitive test for the third consecutive time, a claim he made a day after fresh scrutiny over his fitness for office.
In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump said White House doctors had declared him to be in “perfect health” and that he had “aced” his cognitive examination by answering 100 percent of the questions correctly. He added that no other President or Vice President had been willing to take such a test. Trump also argued that anyone running for President or Vice President should be required to undergo a “strong, meaningful and proven” cognitive examination, saying the country cannot be run by “stupid or incompetent people”.
The comments followed an interview published by The Wall Street Journal on Thursday, in which Trump, 79, addressed questions about his health. He attributed large bruises visible on his hand to aspirin use and denied reports that he had fallen asleep during televised meetings. Trump also revised an earlier statement about undergoing an MRI scan in October, saying it had instead been a quicker CT scan.
Since his return to office in January, Trump’s health has drawn attention, particularly after photographs showing dark bruises on his right hand circulated. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt had earlier dismissed concerns, citing frequent handshaking or his daily aspirin intake.
Trump later confirmed that he takes 325 milligrams of aspirin daily, four times the standard low-dose amount, despite doctors advising him to cut back. He said the habit is driven partly by superstition, explaining that he believes aspirin helps thin his blood and that he does not want to risk “thick blood” affecting his heart.
Trump has long sought to project vigour through frequent media interactions, constant social media activity and imagery portraying him as energetic and strong. However, the first year of his second term has prompted growing questions, with observers noting persistent bruising on his hand, occasional swelling in his ankles and moments when he appeared to struggle to keep his eyes open during public meetings.
Addressing such claims, Trump told the Journal that he was not dozing off but simply relaxing. “I’ll just close. It’s very relaxing to me,” he said, adding that photographs often capture him mid-blink.
In his Truth Social post, Trump reiterated his call for mandatory cognitive testing for top candidates, a remark widely seen as a swipe at his predecessor Joe Biden, who exited the 2024 presidential race after concerns over his age intensified following a poor debate performance.
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