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US President Donald Trump has once again insisted he is in excellent physical and mental condition, using social media to defend his health a day after renewed scrutiny of his well-being following a newspaper interview.
Posting on his Truth Social platform on Friday, the 79-year-old claimed White House doctors had confirmed he was in “perfect health” and said he had once again achieved a flawless score in a cognitive assessment.
Trump hinted that this marked the third time he had completed such a test, arguing that no previous president or vice president had been willing to do the same.
The comments followed an interview published by the Wall Street Journal on Thursday, in which Trump addressed public speculation about his fitness for office.
In the interview, he attributed visible bruising on his right hand to taking aspirin and rejected suggestions that he had fallen asleep during televised meetings.
Trump also revised earlier remarks about undergoing a brain scan in October, clarifying that he had received a CT scan rather than an MRI, as previously stated.
Throughout his political career, Trump has sought to project an image of strength and energy, regularly engaging with reporters, maintaining an intense social media presence and sharing AI-generated images portraying him in heroic roles.
However, questions about his health have persisted during the first year of his second term. Observers have noted repeated bruising on his hand, sometimes concealed with makeup or bandages, as well as episodes of apparent ankle swelling.
There have also been moments when Trump appeared to struggle to stay awake in public settings, including during an Oval Office meeting with healthcare officials last November.
Trump dismissed such claims in the Journal interview, saying he was simply resting his eyes rather than dozing off.
“I’ll just close them. It’s very relaxing to me,” he said, noting that photographs often capture him mid-blink, creating a misleading impression.
In his latest post, Trump argued that all presidential and vice-presidential candidates should be required to undergo what he described as a rigorous and reliable cognitive examination.
He warned that the country could not afford to be led by people he labelled as incompetent.
The remarks were widely seen as another dig at his predecessor Joe Biden, who became the oldest president in US history and withdrew from the 2024 election race after a debate performance that intensified concerns over his age and mental sharpness.
