Donald Trump is showing physical signs that have raised alarms among the medical community: bruises on the backs of his hands, swelling in his ankles, episodes of apparent drowsiness during official events, and, above all, a weight gain that places him on the verge of clinical obesity.
This is revealed by an extensive report from the Washington Post published on Sunday, in which several doctors warn that the president's weight gain poses a significant risk to his health.
A worry for doctors
According to the medical report that the White House released in May, Trump weighs 238 pounds (approximately 108 kilograms) and is 1.90 meters tall, which results in a body mass index of 29.7: just 1.6 pounds shy of the threshold that defines obesity.
The figure contrasts with the 215 pounds listed in his police record from August 2023.
The administration itself acknowledged that the president gained 6.35 kilograms between his last two annual medical check-ups.
"We know that obesity is a significant risk factor for numerous health issues, as well as for disability and premature death," said Scott Kahan, director of the National Center for Weight and Wellness and a physician at George Washington University.
Tackling obesity to protect the president's health should be a priority, just like ensuring the Secret Service's protection for his life,” he added.
David Kessler, former director of the Food and Drug Administration, pointed to a specific risk: “That fat that accumulates around the waist, that visceral fat, is fat that collects around the liver, the pancreas, and the heart, where it shouldn’t be.”
However, not all experts share the same level of alarm.
The obesity specialist Dr. Gitanjali Srivastava emphasized that at 80 years old, “it’s not so much about the number, but rather about what the percentage of body fat is”, and added that the body mass index “is an excellent detection tool, but it isn't everything.”
The monitoring of Trump's weight and physical health has a long history.
During his first term, he increased from 239 pounds in January 2018 to 243 pounds in February 2019, at which point he was technically classified as obese.
In June 2020, he weighed 244 pounds, and four months later, he contracted a severe case of COVID-19, a disease whose severity is linked to obesity.
The marks on the hands and other visible signs
Weight is not the only physical indicator that has generated scrutiny.
The bruises on the back of the hands have attracted attention during various public appearances.
The White House doctor, Captain Sean P. Barbabella, attributed them in May to "minor irritation of soft tissues related to frequent handshakes in the context of aspirin use for cardiovascular prevention."
Swelling in the ankles has an official explanation since July 2025, when Trump was diagnosed with chronic venous insufficiency, a benign condition that is common among older adults.
Barbabella also recommended increased physical activity, dietary guidance, and ongoing weight loss in May, although the White House did not respond to questions about whether Trump has followed those recommendations.
Trump's and the White House's response
The president has addressed the topic with a mix of humor and resignation.
“Maybe junk food is good and other food is not”, he said in the Oval Office in May.
"I know so many people who only care about their weight, this and that, and in the end, they passed away, and here we are. I feel great," she added then.
In a recent podcast with Second Lady Usha Vance, Trump invoked former President William Howard Taft: “He was our heaviest president, and I have to be careful because I don’t want to surpass his record. And something like that could be possible if I allowed it.”
The White House avoided directly responding about the peso.
The spokesperson Davis Ingle chose to compare Trump to his predecessor: "President Trump's mental acuity, his boundless energy, his tireless work ethic, and his historic accessibility stand in stark contrast to what we saw during the previous administration."
The institution also did not respond to whether Trump has ever taken GLP-1 medications for weight loss, although the president himself has denied having done so.
Trump turned 80 in June, becoming the oldest sitting president in the history of the United States, a fact that intensifies the debate about his physical condition and the transparency of the medical information available to the public.
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