President Donald Trump is scheduled to see doctors for a medical and dental checkup on May 26 at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, marking his fourth publicized visit to medical experts since returning to office, the White House announced Monday evening.
The scheduled examination comes as Trump, who turns 80 next month and was the oldest person elected U.S. president, faces continued public scrutiny over his health and fitness for office. The White House described the visit as an annual physical and regular preventive care.
A Pattern of Medical Attention
The frequency of Trump's medical visits has drawn attention to questions about presidential health transparency and the physical demands of the nation's highest office. Trump himself acknowledged the political sensitivity of health screenings, saying he regretted getting imaging on his heart and abdomen about 7 months ago because it raised public questions about his health.
Despite the medical attention, Trump maintains he feels unchanged by age. "I feel literally the same," he said at an Oval Office event earlier Monday. "I don't know why. It's not because I eat the best foods." Last week, he joked about his exercise regimen, saying that he works out "like about one minute a day, max."
Previous Health Concerns
About 1 year ago, Trump's doctor said after an annual physical exam that the president was "fully fit" to serve as commander in chief. His physician, Navy Capt. Sean Barbabella, said Trump was 20 pounds lighter than in a 2020 checkup that showed him bordering on obesity.
However, months after that April 2025 visit, Trump had a checkup after noticing what the White House described as "mild swelling" in his lower legs. Tests by the White House medical unit found that Trump had chronic venous insufficiency, a condition common in older adults that causes blood to pool in his veins.
At the time, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said bruising on the back of Trump's hands that has sometimes been covered by makeup was the result of irritation from frequent handshaking and aspirin use. Trump takes aspirin to reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke.
Preventive Screenings and Transparency
Trump later had an October medical exam that the White House called a "semiannual physical," where he also got his yearly flu shot and a COVID-19 booster vaccine. He later told The Wall Street Journal that he underwent advanced imaging on his heart and abdomen in October as preventive screening.
In his first term, Trump had at least four medical exams in office, aside from a stay at Walter Reed when he got COVID-19 more than 5 years ago. His upcoming dental evaluation follows two other recent visits to a local dentist near his estate in Florida, where Trump often spends his weekends.
The checkup is scheduled to take place about 10 days after Trump is expected to return from a summit in Beijing with Chinese leader Xi Jinping.
Trump has frequently criticized former President Joe Biden for age-related health and fitness issues, making his own health a subject of particular public interest given that he is now approaching 80 years old.
Why This Matters:
Presidential health transparency affects public confidence in government leadership and the ability of elected officials to fulfill their constitutional duties. At 79, Trump's frequent medical visits and diagnosed conditions like chronic venous insufficiency raise legitimate questions about the physical demands placed on aging leaders and whether adequate health information is being shared with the public. The pattern of multiple checkups within months, combined with Trump's own admission that he regretted certain screenings because they raised health questions, highlights tensions between personal privacy and the public's right to know about the fitness of their commander in chief. As the population ages and older candidates seek office, establishing clear standards for health disclosure becomes increasingly important for democratic accountability and informed voting.