President Donald Trump has been diagnosed with chronic venous insufficiency, a condition characterized by diminished blood recirculation to the legs, the White House announced on Thursday.
Photos circulating this weekend of the president attending the FIFA Club World Cup final in New Jersey showed Trump exhibiting noticeable swelling in his lower half. Trump was also photographed earlier this week at the White House with bruising on the back of his right hand.
The White House did not publicly respond to internet speculation about Trump’s health until Thursday’s press briefing, when press secretary Karoline Leavitt informed reporters that Trump had been “thoroughly” screened by the White House medical team and that his test results had been read to provide “transparency” to the nation.
“Venous Doppler ultrasounds were performed and revealed chronic venous insufficiency, a benign and common condition, particularly in individuals over the age of 70. Importantly, there was no evidence of deep vein thrombosis or arterial disease,” Leavitt said, adding that White House physicians did not identify any signs of “heart failure, renal impairment, or systemic illness.”
Dr. Sean Barbabella, Trump’s physician, later released a letter outlining his evaluation of the president, concluding “President Trump remains in excellent health.”
Leavitt declined to read out Trump’s prescribed treatments related to the blood flow disorder.
The press secretary noted that Trump’s lab work indicated that the irregularities in his hand are “soft tissue irritation from frequent handshaking and the use of aspirin”, which is part of the president’s typical cardiovascular health regimen.
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“This is a well-known and benign side effect of aspirin therapy, and the president remains in excellent health, which I think all of you witness on a daily basis here,” she continued.
Trump frequently made former President Joe Biden’s visible mental and physical decline a core focus of his 2024 election platform. Though younger than his predecessor, Trump will be 83 by the time his term concludes in 2028, one year older than Biden was when he left office earlier this year.
