School, college and other closings for Monday

MPR News helps you turn down the noise and build shared understanding. Turn up your support for this public resource and keep trusted journalism accessible to all. 

Turn Up Your Support

President Trump is getting the first physical of his second term on Friday at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.

"I have never felt better, but nevertheless, these things must be done!" Trump 

At 78, Trump is the oldest president to start a second term in office. He follows former President Joe Biden, who took office at the same age, and 

Trump has been less than forthcoming about his health information in recent years, even as the 

issues of health and age were in the spotlight

Presidents have access to excellent preventive care and daily contact with White House physicians. It's one of the factors that has led to presidents living longer than the general population, said S. Jay Olshansky, a professor in the School of Public Health at the University of Illinois Chicago, who has studied the health of presidents.

Olshansky said there are many armchair doctors, but a president's own physician is the only one who truly has all the necessary context.

"Keep in mind, medical records are private," Olshansky said. "Presidents do not have to reveal their medical records."

When Trump first ran for office in 2015, his then-doctor 

 describing his lab results as "astonishingly excellent" and concluding he would be the "healthiest individual ever elected to the presidency." The doctor later said Trump had dictated it to him.

His first White House physical in 2018 yielded a 

, who proclaimed to reporters that Trump's good health came down to his "great genes."

"I told the president that if he had a healthier diet over the last 20 years, he might live to be 200 years old," Jackson said in a White House briefing.

 and isn't a fan of exercise. Jackson said Trump needed to lose some weight, exercise more consistently and reduce his intake of fat and carbs.

Jackson held court, taking questions from reporters about everything from Trump's cardiac calcium score to his cognitive function.

"I was not going to do a cognitive exam, I had no intention of doing one," Jackson said. "The reason that we did the cognitive assessment is, plain and simple, because the president asked me to do it."

Jackson said Trump scored a 30 out of 30. Years later, in a Fox News interview, Trump described the test, known as the Montreal Cognitive Assessment.

"You'll go 'Person, woman, man, camera, TV,'" Trump said, describing how he easily recalled a short series of unrelated words during the exam.

"Because I have, like, a good memory," Trump said. "Because I'm cognitively there."

Trump’s most recent disclosure was brief

In 2023, as he ran for a second term, Trump released a 

 without any data, saying he had lost weight and "his cognitive exams were exceptional."

He leaned in on cognitive testing as a campaign issue — both before and after Biden dropped out of the race following a disastrous debate performance.

"We should have cognitive tests for anybody that runs for president and vice president," Trump said at a rally in October.

. The White House defended that decision repeatedly.

"Everything that he does — day in and day out as it relates to delivering for the American people — is a cognitive test," his press secretary, Karine Jean-Pierre, told reporters after he struggled during his debate against Trump.

Trump has been known to jumble words. During the campaign, he 

 when getting into a garbage truck. And he is acutely aware that some have raised questions about his fitness. At another rally in October, he talked about his critics pouncing when he mispronounces words.

"They'll say 'He's cognitively impaired!'" Trump said mockingly. "I'll let you know when I will be. I will be someday. We all will be someday. But I'll be the first to let you know."

The long history of selective medical disclosures from the White House

There is a long history of presidents concealing their health challenges. For example, 

 denied he had Addison's disease among other medical ailments.

 had a stroke, his wife and doctor covered for him, noted Jeff Kuhlman, who was a physician in the Clinton, Bush and Obama White Houses.

"They covered up for him for several months and they were not truthful with the American people," Kuhlman said.

While there is no law requiring presidents to get physicals, Kuhlman said it's something that the public and media now expect.

Kuhlman wrote a book about transforming the way physicians serve the president. He recently argued in a 

 that presidents should have their critical decision-making capacity assessed through extensive cognitive testing — not just the short screening exams like the one Trump has taken in the past.

"To me, the purpose of the physical for the president is to give him honest feedback," about physical and cognitive health, said Kuhlman.

Whether that honest feedback is also shared with the public is another question entirely.

Politics and Government News

Homepage

Tamara Keith

Author

President Trump’s past medical reports have been glowing. But at 78, his age puts his health in the spotlight — as it was for his predecessor, President Joe Biden.

Trump is getting a physical. What will be included in the report?

Go Deeper.

Like this?

News you can use in your inbox