8 Reasons Why We're Worried About Donald Trump's Health

He's the man who likes to call former President Joe Biden "Sleepy Joe," but now President Donald Trump seems to be the one having a hard time staying awake whenever he's seated in lengthy meetins. There have been some glaringly obvious signs that Trump's health could be in decline, with rumors about his wellbeing running rampant only a few months into his second term and properly ramping up during August and September 2025, when growing speculation suggested that the president isn't well.

In early September, Trump failed to make a public appearance for a few days. This sent the internet into a frenzy, with rumors from illness to death, and that the White House was covering it up. It shouldn't come as much of a surprise that people are skeptical about reports that Trump is in good health. He does, after all, have a history of exaggerating about his medical records and once even dictated a "glowing" medical report to his doctor, who admitted that he didn't it. Amid rumors of his death, Trump, instead of making a public appearance, took to social media to proclaim, "NEVER FELT BETTER IN MY LIFE." This message did not reassure anyone, and when asked about the rumors of his death a few days later, the president claimed not to have any knowledge of them.

Then there was the Truth Social spree he went on in early December 2025, which saw Trump churning out 160 posts within the span of five hours, stopping short of the clock striking midnight. He jumped between topics — from patting himself on the back to doling out criticism to his opponents and peddling conspiracy theories. The posting spree understandably led many to question his sanity — and his fitness for office.

In July 2025, eagle-eyed pundits noticed that Trump had swollen ankles and badly bruised hands. Naturally, the observation made headlines. The White House seemed to be well aware of the upheaval the president's symptoms were causing and subsequently made public that Trump had been diagnosed with chronic venous insufficiency. The diagnosis sparked rumors about Trump's lifespan, but his physician, Dr. Sean Barbabella, tried to quell rumors and put concerns to rest by stating that the condition is "benign and common." He added, "Importantly, there was no evidence of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) or arterial disease. [Trump] remains in excellent health," per the BBC.

Cleveland Clinic notes that chronic venous insufficiency is the result of damaged veins in the legs (hence the swelling Trump experienced). The damaged veins have a hard time circulating blood, so it pools in the lower extremities, which eventually leads to the swelling people observed. Patients are advised to elevate their legs regularly during the day (perhaps this is why Trump is starting work later during his second term) and to do regular exercise. It's also advised that overweight patients manage their weight as obesity puts more pressure on the damaged veins. Chronic venous insufficiency doesn't necessarily affect a person's lifespan, but it does get worse over time, especially if left untreated.

Forget Sleepy Joe, these days, we're dealing with Dozy Don. Trump's Oval Office nap earned him the nickname from Californa Gov. Gavin Newsom in November 2025, and the commander-in-chief has racked up plenty of Zs during other official engagements. Take his May 2025 visit to Saudi Arabia, for instance. Trump was caught on camera nodding off, making him the butt of several jokes. As the year wore on, the president's on-screen naps have only increased. Him dozing off during an Oval Office briefing in May while Dr. Mehmet Oz was discussing the topic of sleep was the portrait of irony. Photographs and video footage show the president struggling to keep his eyes open, and the same scenario played itself out during a December 2025 cabinet meeting.

As Trump's acolytes sang his praises, the president appeared to barely be registering what any of them were saying. His main focus, it appeared, was on trying to fall asleep in front of the cameras without looking like he was, in fact, asleep. It's safe to say he failed miserably. Ironically, he started the meeting off by insisting, "[I am] sharper than I was 25 years ago... Trump is sharp, but they [the media] are not sharp," per CNN. He was clearly referring to The New York Times report about his health that had him raging after suggesting he's losing steam. The president falling asleep on the job is certainly concerning, and one wonders how much important information goes right over his head while he's in Dozy Don mode.

Trump falling asleep while he's supposed to be working is worrisome, but what's even more concerning is that Vice President JD Vance exposed Trump's bizarre sleeping habits, which can't be good for his questionable health, during an interview with Fox News in September 2025. "He doesn't have an off switch," Vance disclosed. "Sometimes the president will call you at 12:30 or two in the morning. Then he'll call you at six in the morning about a totally different topic. It's like, 'Mr President, did you go to sleep last night?'" Vance isn't the only one who's revealed that Trump rarely sleeps. Attorney General Pam Bondi has said the same thing on "The Katie Miller Podcast." "None of us can keep up with him; we always joke. I don't know how he does it. I mean, none of us know when he sleeps. He's working all the time, and it's just constant for him," Bondi said.

Trump's cabinet seems to think that boasting about his lack of sleep makes the president look good, but in reality, it's undermining confidence in Trump's health. A 2025 study published by Cureus notes that not getting enough sleep has a profound impact on the brain's prefrontal cortex, which affects decision-making and can lead to impulsive and risky behavior. It also makes the affected person more prone to mistakes and can make cognitive deficits even worse. One has to wonder whether Trump's newfound affinity for flinging insults at female reporters might have something to do with his lack of sleep. His frequent naps certainly do.

A New York Times article that prompted Trump's overuse of the caps lock key on Truth Social noted that the president seems to be slowing down during his second term. An analysis of his public appearances during 2017 versus 2025 showed a significant decline (39%, to be exact). Interestingly, it's been indicated that Trump's schedule has been adjusted to only allow for public appearances between 12:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. He also starts his days later than he did during his first term. Trump went from kickstarting his day at 10:31 a.m. to now showing up to work at around 12:08, while still ending the day at 5:00 p.m. The outlet did, however, note that he'd been making more international trips. Clearly, Trump is no longer the spring chicken he used to be during his first term.

The president has continued to rage against The Times for reporting about his health, and in December 2025, Trump had another freakout over those health rumors, taking to Truth Social once again to protest against the outlet publishing a piece about him allegedly falling asleep during the cabinet meeting. He called The Times "seditious, perhaps even treasonous" for publishing the article. "They are true Enemies of the People, and we should do something about it," Trump penned, according to AP. The only thing more concerning than the president's seemingly declining vitality is the aggressive manner in which he's responding to reports about his health. It stands to reason that someone with nothing to hide might react very differently.

Another thing that's worrying the American people are the bruises on President Donald Trump's hands. After they were first noticed in mid-2025, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters that it wasn't anything serious. The large bruises, which the president has clumsily covered with blotches of makeup, was, in part, due to his aspirin medication, Leavitt said. She explained that the purple-black bruises are simply "tissue damage from frequent handshaking" per the BBC. The bruising hasn't let up. In fact, it appears to be worsening.

During the December 2025 cabinet meeting, Trump had forgone the patches of concealer for actual bandages — two, to be exact. He appeared to intentionally keep his hand out of the spotlight during the meeting, mostly keeping it hidden under the desk or placing his good hand on top of the injured one. He momentarily seemed to forget that he was supposed to be keeping his hand hidden from view when he scratched his face during the proceedings, allowing an eagle-eyed photographer a clear view of his bandaged hand. A few days later, at a signing ceremony, the president was still sporting the look, but by this time, he was down to one bandage. The White House regurgitated the handshaking explanation when asked about the bandages by the Daily Beast.

One can often spot Trump's insecurities by paying attention to the things he makes the most noise about. The president's constant bragging about acing cognitive tests is one of them. He's practically been calling himself a genius for "acing" the cognitive tests he's taken during his second term. However, he's disclosed during interviews that the last few questions are very hard, so hard, in fact, that he doubts anyone else but him could possibly get them right. As it turns out, the president's admission that he found the last couple of questions challenging are, unfortunately, very concerning. One of them simply requires you to recall what date it is while another asks you to repeat a sentence out loud. It should hardly come as a surprise that some doctors have raised the alarm over Trump's cognitive health.

"Any fair-minded mental health expert would be very worried about Donald Trump's performance," professor of clinical psychiatry Richard A Friedman penned in an article for The Atlantic. "If a patient presented to me with the verbal incoherence, tangential thinking, and repetitive speech that Trump now regularly demonstrates, I would almost certainly refer them for a rigorous neuropsychiatric evaluation to rule out a cognitive illness." Psychologist Dr. John Gartner concurred during an interview with the Daily Beast. "He used to speak with a high level of vocabulary in very polished paragraphs. Now what we see is not only has his vocabulary gone down, but there are times when he's really unable to complete a thought. Sometimes he's unable to complete a word."

Aside from experts expressing worry about Trump showing mental signs of cognitive decline, others have pointed out that the president also appears to be showing physical symptoms. Dr. Elisabeth Zoffmann, a forensic psychiatrist and an Associate Clinical Professor of Forensic and General Psychiatry at the University of British Columbia, told Salon that the president shows an array of symptoms that indicate serious cognitive decline. She cited his frequent outbursts and problems with pronouncing certain words and then noted that the way Trump walks raises other concerns. "His walk appears wide-based and he has developed a swing of his right leg. He appears glued to the floor when he 'dances' for his audience," Zoffman noted, explaining that this is one of the telltale signs of Behavioral Variant Fronto-Temporal Dementia.

Other doctors agree. Clinical psychologist, John Gartner, has pointed out on the "Shrinking Trump" program that the way in which the president moves is grounds for serious concern. He noted that, during Trump's meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Anchorage, Alaska, in August 2025, he appeared unsteady on his feet while walking the red carpet he'd rolled out for the Russian leader. "[He was] weaving all along the carpet," Gartner noted (via Hindustan Times). "If they pulled you over for a DUI and you walked that line, you know, you would fail."

While speaking at a gaggle with reporters during his trip to Asia in October 2025, Trump put his foot in his mouth when he bragged about releasing his medical report (which really didn't reveal much of anything at all). He mentioned that he'd gotten an MRI. Reporters immediately had a hundred questions, given that this tidbit of information had notably been excluded from the report that had been made public. When asked what the MRI was for, the president claimed not to know. What also set tongues wagging was that he'd undergone two physical exams in one year, which in itself is unusual.

The White House eventually released a statement, telling the public that the MRI was of Trump's abdomen and heart and that it was entirely preventative. Dr. Vin Gupta, during an interview with the "MeidasTouch Podcast," called Trump's claim that he had no idea what the MRI was for "nonsensical," adding that MRIs aren't done preventatively. "It's actually a terrible screening tool," he said. "The fact that his team is saying, 'Hey, he got this MRI. It's part of an executive physical, part of his routine physical,' is utter nonsense. That's not a part of a routine physical exam," he added. It makes one wonder what Trump and his medical team might really be hiding.