President Donald Trump, age 79, has once again been declared in “exceptional health” following his second physical examination of the year at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. The checkup, which took place on Friday, October 10, 2025, comes just six months after his previous exam in April—a frequency that presidential historians describe as unusual, though not entirely without precedent. The White House characterized the visit as a “routine yearly checkup,” but Trump himself referred to it as a “semiannual physical,” emphasizing his proactive approach to health maintenance.
“I like to check, always early, always be early. It’s a lesson for a lot of people,” Trump told reporters on October 9, the day before his exam, as quoted by ABC News. He added, “I think I’m in great shape, but I’ll let you know. ... Physically, I feel very good. Mentally, I feel very good.”
The visit included advanced imaging, laboratory testing, and preventive health assessments performed by a team of specialists. According to a memorandum released by Dr. Sean Barbabella, the president’s physician, the evaluation was coordinated with leading academic and medical consultants to ensure optimal cardiovascular health and continued wellness. The comprehensive laboratory studies, Barbabella wrote, showed “stable metabolic, hematologic, and cardiac parameters.”
In addition to the routine tests, Trump received both a flu shot and an updated COVID-19 booster vaccination during his visit, in preparation for upcoming international travel. The president is scheduled to fly to Egypt and Israel early next week as part of the implementation of his peace plan between Israel and Hamas—a trip that follows two years of conflict between the parties and is seen as a critical diplomatic mission. The immunizations, Barbabella noted, were administered with these travel plans in mind.
“President Trump continues to demonstrate excellent overall health,” Barbabella wrote in the official letter, as reported by Nexstar Media. “He continues to maintain a demanding daily schedule without restriction. He exhibits strong cardiovascular, pulmonary, neurological, and physical performance.” The doctor further revealed that Trump’s “cardiac age”—a measure of cardiovascular vitality determined via ECG—was found to be approximately 14 years younger than his chronological age.
Friday’s checkup was Trump’s second at Walter Reed in 2025, following his April exam, after which Barbabella also declared him “fully fit to serve.” Notably, Trump was diagnosed in July with chronic venous insufficiency, a common and generally benign condition in older adults where veins in the legs or arms have trouble sending blood back to the heart. The diagnosis, which came after Trump was seen with bruising on his hand and swollen legs, has been managed with standard treatments such as compression stockings and, in Trump’s case, aspirin therapy. Barbabella attributed the bruising to “minor soft tissue irritation from frequent handshaking and the use of aspirin, which is taken as part of a standard cardiovascular prevention regimen.”
Despite this diagnosis, Barbabella reiterated in both July and October memos that the president “remains in excellent health.” The physician’s October letter concluded: “President Donald J. Trump remains in exceptional health, exhibiting strong cardiovascular, pulmonary, neurological, and physical performance.”
Images of Trump waving to reporters as he departed the White House for his checkup on October 10 circulated widely, underscoring the public’s ongoing fascination—and skepticism—regarding the health of the nation’s leaders. According to Axios, Trump appeared energetic as he headed out, reinforcing his own statements about feeling “in great shape.”
The timing and transparency of presidential physicals have long been a topic of debate. Traditionally, presidents undergo one annual physical exam per year, with results summarized in a memo to reassure the public. Alexis Coe, a presidential historian, noted to McClatchy News that “every president from Reagan through Biden stuck to the same pattern: one exam, one memo, one reassurance that all is well.” Multiple exams in a single year are rare, with the last widely reported case being President Gerald Ford’s six-month interval physical in 1976.
Jacob Appel, a professor at the Icahn School of Medicine and a historian of presidential health, told McClatchy News that more than one checkup for a seventy-nine-year-old president is “not unreasonable,” especially given the demands of the office and recent scrutiny over presidential fitness. This scrutiny has only intensified since former President Joe Biden exited the 2024 race amid concerns over his health, and after reports suggested that the White House may not always be fully transparent about the health of sitting presidents.
Experts, however, urge a degree of skepticism. “The exams are stagecraft,” Coe observed, suggesting that such publicized checkups are designed to “fend off questions about age or stamina.” Thomas Balcerski, a historian at Eastern Connecticut State University, pointed to a long history of presidents concealing serious health conditions, from Grover Cleveland’s secret surgery to Franklin Roosevelt’s undisclosed paralysis. “We’ve seen multiple administrations now make much about the incumbent’s fitness to serve only for accusations by media and insiders later to surface about the same president’s unfitness for office,” Balcerski said.
Indeed, recent polling reflects a certain wariness among Americans regarding official health disclosures. A September YouGov survey found that 52% of respondents said they “trust information that the White House releases about President Trump’s health only a little.” In a separate May YouGov/Economist poll, 57% of respondents expressed the belief that Democrats had tried to conceal information about Biden’s health.
Adding further complexity, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has recently shifted its guidance on COVID-19 vaccinations. The CDC now recommends that Americans under age 65 consult their physician before getting a booster, while those over 65 should make vaccination decisions based on individual risk factors and medical advice. For Trump—who is in the over-65 category—the decision to receive updated COVID-19 and flu vaccines was made in consultation with his medical team, aligning with these updated recommendations.
Despite the swirl of speculation and the backdrop of political maneuvering, the official word from Trump’s physician is clear: the president remains in “exceptional health,” and, at least according to his doctors, is fully prepared for the rigors of office and international diplomacy. Whether the public at large is convinced remains another question, but for now, Trump appears eager to showcase his stamina and resilience as he embarks on yet another high-profile trip abroad.
With a demanding travel schedule ahead and a contentious political climate at home, the president’s health will no doubt remain under the microscope. For now, though, the message from Walter Reed is resoundingly positive: Donald Trump, at 79, is officially declared fit and ready for what lies ahead.
