United States President, Donald Trump, has dismissed concerns about his age and physical fitness, saying he is in “perfect” health.
He stated this during an interview with The Wall Street Journal published on Thursday, addressing scrutiny over his appearance at public events, including claims that he appeared to nod off during meetings and the use of makeup on his hand.
“Let’s talk about health again for the 25th time,” Trump told interviewers.
Trump is 79 years old and would be 82 at the end of a full second term, which would make him the oldest sitting president in US history.
He rejected claims that he had fallen asleep during official meetings, saying media outlets misrepresented images of him blinking.
“Sometimes they’ll take a picture of me blinking, blinking, and they’ll catch me with the blink,” he said.
Trump also clarified earlier comments about a medical scan, saying he underwent a CT scan, not an MRI, after previously suggesting otherwise.
One of his doctors had earlier identified the procedure as a CT scan.
“In retrospect, it’s too bad I took it because it gave them a little ammunition,” Trump said. “Well, nothing’s wrong.”
He denied having any health issues. “My health is perfect,” he said.
Trump said he takes 325mg of aspirin daily, despite doctors recommending a lower dose, adding that the medication causes him to bruise easily.
He said he sometimes uses makeup to cover bruises on his hand.
“They’d rather have me take the smaller one,” Trump said. “I take the larger one, but I’ve done it for years.”
The president also said he does not engage in regular exercise apart from golf, describing workouts such as treadmill running as unappealing.
“I just don’t like it. It’s boring,” he said.
Trump acknowledged that his schedule had been adjusted but said the change was unrelated to stamina or alertness. “I’ve never been a big sleeper,” he said.