The trip prompts questions about Trump’s health amid memes of the president “sleeping” during public events and speculation regarding the bruising on his hands, both of which Trump and his aides dispute.

But after former President Joe Biden‘s aides covered up Biden’s physical and mental decline, even Democrats concede Trump and the White House are operating in a political environment where the bar for concern surrounding an aging president has been dramatically lowered.

“Yes, the Biden camp’s hiding or downplaying his alarming physical and mental decline has set a very bad precedent for transparency and honesty about a president’s health,” Democratic strategist Garry South told the Washington Examiner.

A second Democratic strategist, Jim Manley, acknowledged that “Team Biden — and the media — failed the American people when it came to Biden’s health,” with Manley reiterating that “the media coverage was miserable.”

At the same time, Democrats, including South and Manley, have implored Trump not to make Biden’s mistakes.

“To hear him tell it, he’s taken cognitive tests that put him at the same level as Einstein, and he’s in such tip-top shape he could probably compete in the UFC match on the White House lawn next month,” South said, alluding to the MMA event to mark Trump’s 80th birthday. “The American people will never hear the truth about Trump’s physical condition, until he drops over one day.”

Trump has quipped to the Wall Street Journal that he sometimes closes his eyes during meetings because “it’s very relaxing,” but he and his staff have repeated that photographers will “take a picture of me blinking, blinking, and they’ll catch me with the blink.”

“He was blinking, you absolute moron,” the White House wrote on X only this week in response to a Reuters reporter posting a photo of Trump with his eyes closed during an Oval Office event.

The White House has also pushed back regarding the bruising on Trump’s hands, which he routinely covers up with makeup. Staffers have attributed the bruising to Trump’s frequent handshaking and daily aspirin regimen, which can increase bruising.

“The president is a man of the people and he meets more Americans and shakes their hands on a daily basis than any other president in history,” White House spokesman Davis Ingle said. “President Trump’s commitment is unwavering and he proves that every single day.”

The White House has proactively disclosed information about Trump’s health, such as in July regarding his diagnosis with chronic venous insufficiency, which has contributed to his swollen ankles that have also sparked speculation online.

Trump sparked more questions last October when he told reporters on Air Force One as he returned from Asia that he had a “perfect” MRI during that trip to Walter Reed when it was a cardiovascular and abdominal CT scan.

White House physician Sean Barbabella later wrote in a statement that “to make the most” of Trump’s time at Walter Reed after he “agreed to meet with the staff and soldiers,” “we recommended he undergo another routine physical evaluation to ensure continued optimal health.”

“As part of that examination, we asked the president if he would undergo advanced imaging — either an MRI or CT Scan — to definitively rule out any cardiovascular issues,” he wrote. “The president agreed, and our team of consultants performed a CT Scan.”

During an impromptu telephone call with the Wall Street Journal, the same interview in which he admitted to closing his eyes during meetings, Trump expressed regret for encouraging the speculation regarding the MRI.

“In retrospect, it’s too bad I took it because it gave them a little ammunition,” Trump said. “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.”

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt underscored Trump’s transparency regarding his health compared to Biden.

“Additional details on the imaging have been disclosed by the president himself because he continues to be the most transparent and open president in history and has nothing to hide, unlike his predecessor Joe Biden, who hid from the press and lied about his clear physical and mental decline,” Leavitt wrote in her own statement.

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Against that background, Democratic strategist Christopher Hahn, tired of the conversation, urged Congress and the states to “amend the Constitution and place age limits for Congress, president, and the Supreme Court.”

“We need officials who are more concerned about the future and not tied to a distorted view of the past,” Hahn told the Washington Examiner.