Donald Trump recently ended a period of absence from public appearances that stretched over several days, leading to rampant speculation regarding the health of the 79-year-old President. He re-emerged in the Oval Office on Wednesday afternoon, dispelling rumors.
Aaron Rupar, known for his focus on viral video clips and commentary on X, stirred the pot by claiming earlier that it had been a full week since Trump made a public appearance, aside from a pre-recorded interview.
Rupar informed his over one million followers, “His last public event was his cabinet meeting last Wednesday, one day after his visit to Walter Reed.”
The White House, however, countered these allegations. Spokesperson Davis Ingle told the Daily Mail, “President Trump just engaged in a 45-minute comprehensive interview yesterday, and he will be hosting open press events on both Thursday and Friday.”
Ingle added, “Anyone leveraging the President’s schedule to promote leftist conspiracies is completely misguided.”
Contrary to Rupar’s assertions, Trump made a public appearance in the Oval Office around 4 p.m., where he unveiled an executive order focused on strengthening border security.
The wild rumors on social media have nonetheless fueled concern among the public, with searches for ‘Trump stroke’ and ‘Trump missing’, surging on Google.
Before the Oval Office announcement, Trump had not been spotted since Sunday, when he returned to the White House from his golf club in Sterling, Virginia.
Despite Rupar’s spurious claim, Trump appeared in the Oval Office at around 4pm to announce an executive order for securing the border
Trump holds a chart showing that the Reflecting Pool on the National Mall is taller than skyscrapers as he speaks to the press in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, on June 3
Donald Trump raises his fist as he returns to the White House in Washington, DC, on Sunday
The renewed speculation about Trump’s health comes after he visited hospital last Tuesday for his third visit since he took office in January 2025.
Trump declared ‘everything checked out PERFECTLY’ on Truth Social after the visit.
His physician, US Navy Captain Sean Barbarella, wrote in a memo published by the White House that Trump ‘remains in excellent health, demonstrating strong cardiac, pulmonary, neurological, and overall physical function.’
The report contains information on Trump’s vital statistics, references several scans that took place, and makes minor recommendations about preventative care.
The President was listed at 75 inches and 238 pounds, 14 pounds heavier than last year, but with a healthy resting heart rate and normal blood pressure. He takes two cholesterol medications and aspirin for his heart, per the report.
The results landed later than usual, only increasing the intense scrutiny over bruises on his hands, swelling on his ankles and claims he is in cognitive decline.
Trump’s checkup alarmed doctors who say it is ‘too good to be true’ and missing vital data.
President Trump closes his eyes in the Oval Office on April 18
The White House has attributed the bruising to frequent handshakes and regular aspirin usage (pictured in Davos, Switzerland, on January 22)
Jonathan Reiner, heart doctor for late Vice President Dick Cheney, said on social media: ‘There’s no other explanation for not releasing the results of the President’s medical examination other than not wanting the American people to know something.’
Texas vascular surgeon David Shutze told the Wall Street Journal: ‘That report is almost too good to be true for somebody of his age. This seems to be a filtered narrative.’
Trump is the oldest person ever elected to the presidency, beating predecessor Joe Biden by some five months.
Presidents are not obligated to release their medical information to the public.
However, Trump has faced increased political pressure to publish his records after making Biden’s health a cornerstone of his presidential campaign, lashing his rival as ‘Sleepy Joe’ for failing to take a cognitive test.
Shutze disparaged the report’s tendency to affirm Trump’s health without providing specific data which would support Barbarella’s claims.
Reiner pointed out that multiple of the tests mentioned in the White House report had been performed on Trump recently enough that repeating them is unusual.
Barbarella’s report also referenced an AI analysis of an echocardiogram that found Trump’s ‘cardiac age’ to be fifteen years younger than his actual age.
Trump has at times used makeup and bandages to conceal the bruising on his hand (pictured at the White House on May 6)
This AI evaluation ‘is not a clinically utilized tool,’ Reiner said.
Although Trump prides himself on being unusually fit for his age, aspects of his ageing have become harder to conceal in public.
Trump’s hands frequently appear bruised, and at times he has used makeup or bandages in an attempt to hide this.
The President and those in his orbit have attributed the bruising to frequent handshaking and the effects of regular doses of aspirin, a blood thinner.
Last year, after photos showed swelling in the President’s lower legs, it was revealed that he suffers from chronic venous insufficiency, a common circulatory problem in older patients.
Barbarella’s report noted that the swelling has improved without going into detail.
The White House said the omission of detailed scan results is typical in an ‘executive summary.’
White House director of communications Steven Cheung blasted ‘outside doctors wildly speculating about an individual’s health.’
‘President Trump has publicly released more detailed information about his health than any other president in history,’ Cheung added.
