As the 79-year-old president enters the second year of his second term, questions about his physical and cognitive health continue to resurface. Viral images, defensive responses from the administration, and limited medical disclosure have reignited an old debate about leadership, transparency, and the balance of power at the highest level.
After images circulated showing the president with swollen ankles and difficulty walking steadily, the White House stated that he suffers from “chronic venous deficiency,” emphasizing that there was no evidence of deep vein thrombosis or arterial disease. Unlike previous presidents, however, no full medical records have been released; only brief summaries from the White House physician have been made public.
Critics argue that this lack of transparency leaves the public guessing. “Let’s be clear: we have no idea what his health condition is. All we can really assess is what we see,” said a presidential historian, pointing to visible signs of fatigue, moments of dozing off at public events, and speeches that some observers describe as increasingly unusual.