Trump Says October Scan Showed He’s Healthy

White House physician Dr. Sean Barbabella said the scan was performed to rule out cardiovascular issues, and it came back normal.

US President Donald Trump speaks during the New Year's Eve Party at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Palm Beach, Florida on December 31, 2025. Photo by Jim WATSON / AFP via Getty Images

President Donald Trump said in an interview published Jan. 1 that he’s healthy.

“In retrospect, it’s too bad I took it because it gave them a little ammunition,” Trump told the Wall Street Journal, referring to the scan he underwent 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,” he said.

Trump, 79, is the second-oldest U.S. president in office—after Joe Biden, who was 82 years old when he left office in January 2025.

Trump was examined at Walter Reed Medical Center on Oct. 10, 2025. The exam included advanced medical imaging, the president said afterwards. He later clarified to the Journal that he actually received a computed tomography (CT) scan, not an MRI.

“It was perfect,” he said at the time.

White House physician Dr. Sean Barbabella said the scan was performed to rule out cardiovascular issues, and it came back normal.

Barbabella also said that Trump is in “exceptional health and perfectly suited to execute his duties as Commander in Chief.”

Barbabella said in a 2025 statement after Trump was examined that the president, “remains in exceptional health, exhibiting strong cardiovascular, pulmonary, neurological, and physical performance.”

Barbabella said at the time that Trump’s cardiac health was about 14 years younger than his chronological age and that there are no restrictions on his daily schedule.

Trump was diagnosed with chronic venous insufficiency over the summer after images showed the president with swollen ankles. Other pictures showed bruised hands, which the White House attributed to soft-tissue irritation from frequent handshaking and the use of aspirin as a cardiovascular preventive.

Trump told the Journal in the new interview that the dosage of aspirin he takes causes bruising and that doctors have encouraged him to consume less, advice he has declined to take.

“They say aspirin is good for thinning out the blood, and I don’t want thick blood pouring through my heart,” Trump was quoted as saying. “I want nice, thin blood pouring through my heart. Does that make sense?”

Trump said on Truth Social on Jan. 2 that he is in perfect health and aced his cognitive examination.

“I strongly believe that anyone running for President, or Vice President, should be mandatorily forced to take a strong, meaningful, and proven Cognitive Examination,” he said. “Our great Country cannot be run by ‘STUPID’ or INCOMPETENT PEOPLE!”