Donald Trump is set to become the oldest president to serve a second term, and he’s openly challenging his doctors’ advice in an effort to quell rumors about his health.

In a candid conversation with the Wall Street Journal, Trump revealed he is taking more aspirin than his medical team recommends, explaining, “I’m a little superstitious.” He elaborated, “They say aspirin helps thin the blood, and I don’t want thick blood coursing through my heart. I prefer it nice and thin. Does that make sense?”

Trump disclosed that he’s been consuming a 325-milligram dose of aspirin daily for the past 25 years, which is notably higher than the typically recommended 81 milligrams advised by healthcare professionals, such as those at the Mayo Clinic. This higher dosage has led to increased bruising, prompting his doctors to suggest a lower intake.

While taking higher doses of aspirin can enhance the risk of severe side effects, including internal bleeding in the stomach, intestines, and brain, particularly in older individuals, it also offers the potential benefit of reducing the likelihood of a heart attack by promoting healthy blood flow.

Photos often show Trump’s hands covered with makeup, which White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirms is used to conceal bruising. Leavitt attributes these bruises to the frequent handshakes that the president engages in during his public appearances.

Trump’s hands are often pictured with a glob of cover-upmake up that White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirms is concealing bruising, which she says are a result of the president regularly shaking people’s hands.

Some aides claim that they have to shout at meetings because Trump’s hearing is declining and pictures have frequently emerged showing the president struggling to keep his eyes open during White House events.

Instead of listening to medical advice, the 79-year-old is relying on what he calls his ‘good genetics.’

Donald Trump admits he’s running on little sleep and defying doctor’s recommendations to lower his daily dosage of aspirin. Pictured: The president shuts his eyes as Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks during a cabinet meeting at the White House on December 2, 2025

Trump’s hands are often pictured bruised. Aspirin thins blood and makes bruising much easier 

Trump has taken to applying concealer and foundation to cover up the discoloration on his hands – though the makeup often does not match his skin tone and is as obvious as bruising

Trump is the oldest person ever to assume the office of the presidency. The record he set in 2016 was broken by Joe Biden in 2020 and then broken yet again when Trump won a second, non-consecutive term in 2024. 

Biden was 82 when his presidency ended last January but Trump will clock in 82 years and seven months if he serves through January 2029.

Biden received a flood of criticism over his health and declining mental acuity during his four years in office. There was widespread reporting on concerns even within his own team over whether he was fit to continue leading the country.

Just four months after leaving office, Biden announced in May 2025 that he was diagnosed with an aggressive stage of prostate cancer that metastasized to his bones. Medical experts were doubtful the diagnosis really happened after he was out of office considering presidents’ health are closely monitored throughout their term and the cancer was advanced to Stage Four.

In addition to the visible bruising, Trump also had a brief stint wearing compression socks for his swelled ankles that he stopped wearing because he didn’t like them, according to the Journal.

He also divulged that he regrets undergoing advanced imaging during his check-up at Walter Reed Medical Center because it opened him up to more scrutiny over his age and health.

‘In retrospect, it’s too bad I took it because it gave them a little ammunition,’ Trump said regarding his decision to get a cardiovascular and abdominal scan in October 2025. ‘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.’

For years – spanning back to his first term COVID-19 diagnosis and colonoscopy – Trump has sought to conceal or downplay any conditions that could lead to any speculation about his health.

But the fragility of his skin has become so obvious that even Attorney General Pam Bondi caused his hand to bleed in July 2024 when her ring nicked him during a high-five at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee.

Trump apparently often brings up the bloody incident to his White House aides. 

Trump denies that he falls asleep during White House events and meetings, and claims he’s always gotten by on little shut-eye. He also denies claims from aides and donors that he has a hard time hearing

For a short while Trump wore compression socks to quell swelled ankles, but stopped donning the medical sleeves because he didn’t like them

People close to the president tell the WSJ that he is publicly and privately showing signs of aging.

Trump gets little sleep but maintains a rigorous schedule, but says he’s always gotten by on little shut-eye.

He denied to the Journal claims by aides, donors and friends saying that he struggles to hear and insisted that despite photo evidence he doesn’t fall asleep at cabinet meetings or Oval Office events.

Trump’s only apparent physical activity is regularly golfing and he’s known to consume a sodium and fat-heavy diet of fast food like McDonalds and Diet Coke. 

He even kept his red button in the Oval Office from his first term that summons an aide to bring him a soda on command.