Donald Trump due at military hospital today for mysterious third medical visit in just over a year
Topics: Donald Trump, US News
Phoebe Tonks
Featured Image Credit: Kent NISHIMURA / AFP via Getty Images
Topics: Donald Trump, US News
President Donald Trump is due to return to the Walter Reed Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on Tuesday, May 26, for what will mark his third health checkup in 13 months.
The president’s medical and dental visit was announced earlier this month by the White House, however no further information was given about the nature of the visit or what medics were checking.
It comes as speculation continues to swirl surrounding Trump’s health after he appeared to fall asleep in key cabinet meetings, and is regularly seen sporting worsening bruises on the back of his hands.
Typically, a president will undergo one physical exam a year, making Trump’s three in just over a year all the more intriguing.
Advert
One possible explanation is simply due to the President’s age, as he is set to make history later this year when he turns 80, having already cemented his place as the oldest president ever inaugurated in US history.
He underwent his routine physical back in April 2025, before being called back for a ‘scheduled follow-up’ in October 2025, that included undertaking enhanced imaging.
Initially, Trump told reporters that he had undergone an MRI, but a later interview with the Wall Street Journal corrected this, when it stated he had actually undergone a CT scan of his heart and abdomen.
Reflecting on his decision to undergo the scan at the time, Trump admitted he regretted ever having gone through with it, despite not detecting anything untoward.
“In retrospect, it’s too bad I took it because it gave them a little ammunition,” Trump said. “I would have been a lot better off if they didn’t, because the fact that I took it said, ‘Oh gee, is something wrong?’ Well, nothing’s wrong.”
While Trump may not be acutely unwell, the White House did previously admit he had been diagnosed with chronic venous insufficiency, a long term condition common in older adults when the valves in your leg veins don't work effectively, making it difficult for blood to return to the heart.
The bruises he was spotted with on the back of his hands, often covered with makeup, were also addressed by his physician Dr.Sean Barbabella, who attributed them to ‘minor soft tissue irritation from frequent handshaking and the use of aspirin.’
Trump later revealed himself that he actually takes far more aspirin than his doctors would typically recommend, which could be contributing to the easy bruising which is a known side effect of the drug.
“They say aspirin is good for thinning out the blood, and I don't want thick blood pouring through my heart," he said. "I want nice, thin blood pouring through my heart. Does that make sense?”
Trump’s upcoming medical appointment is doing little to silence the concern around his health, particularly in the wake of reports just before Easter that he had been hospitalised.
The President always publicly denied these claims, just as he rejects claims he has fallen asleep during recent Oval Office meetings.
Instead he asserts he is a picture of health, recently even remarking that he feels the same now as he did in his 30s. “I feel literally the same,” he said. “I don’t know why. It’s not because I eat the best foods.”