The White House physician concurs with the presidentโs statement that he is in โexcellent health.โ However, a well-known Republican advisor is voicing concerns behind the scenes, saying Donald Trump might be exhibiting mental health issues severe enough to prevent him from serving out another term.
Do you recall all the excitement around Donald Trumpโs highly publicized medical examination in April? Trump exhibits โrobust cardiac, pulmonary, neurological, and general physical function,โ according to Dr. Sean Barbabella, who also notes that โhis active lifestyle continues to contribute significantly to his well-being.โ
A neurological screening that examined Trumpโs reflexes, motor skills, sensory reactions, mental condition, and even mood markers like anxiety and depression was part of the examination, which encompassed 14 doctors.
Trump, who is 78 years old, is still the oldest person to be sworn in as president. He also abstains from alcohol and tobacco, unlike many politicians. He is 6โ3โณ and weighs slightly over 220 pounds, according to the source, which indicates that he has lost roughly 25 pounds since his previous tenure in office. The Associated Press reports that his cholesterol has also decreased.
Doctors believe there is nothing to be concerned about, except from some slight sun damage and scarring on his right ear, which serves as a reminder of the assassination attempt during his July 2024 event in Butler, Pennsylvania.
However, according to Rick Wilson, a co-founder of the Lincoln Project, there are several reasons for caution. Wilson expressed grave concerns about Donald Trumpโs health in an exclusive interview with Times Radio, citing recent actions that he feels may indicate cognitive impairment. He is now calling on Americans to listen more carefully.
Wilson said, โHe is not coherent,โ to Times Radio. โHis incapacity to express any idea or viewpoint without frequent digressions, frequent errors, and the verbal aphasias he experiences at different times.โ Since 2015, Wilson has kept a close eye on Trump and thinks the former president is clearly deteriorating.
He went on, โI can assure you that the man you are witnessing today is neither the Trump of 2015 nor the Trump of 2020.โ โHe isnโt even the 2024 Trump.โ
What about the possibility that Trump will serve out another term? Wilson didnโt mince words: โIt remains to be seen if he survives the four years.โ Wilson is unconvinced, pointing out that test results donโt always accurately represent whatโs happening in a personโs daily conduct, even though recent medical reports have cleared Trump both mentally and physically. โA huge number of experts worldwide are observing the same set of behaviors and stating, โThis is what we see in early dementia cases.’โ When there is a cognitive deterioration, we observe this.
Wilson further emphasized that a personโs age-related problems do not go away just because they pass a cognitive test: He claimed that the 78-year-old president might still be succumbing to โthe ravages of age and ill health.โ While some opponents may have been placated by Trumpโs health report released in April 2025, others, like Rick Wilson, felt that it left more questions than it solved.
That attitude was mirrored by veteran journalist Timothy L. OโBrien when he appeared on MSNBCโs The Weekend: Primetime. He disclosed that the idea of Trump going through the same cognitive decline as his father, Fred Trump, in his latter years severely โhauntsโ him.
OโBrien, who has also been a Trump supporter for decades, claimed that the former presidentโs latest thoughts about running for a third term are more than simply political rhetoric. Trump may have aspirations of holding onto power indefinitely, but โI donโt think heโll actually pursue another term,โ he added, adding that his motivations are โeither self-aggrandizement or self-preservation.โ
Trumpโs usual approach to medical disclosures changed with his April health report. His health updates during the 2016 and 2020 campaigns were succinct and ambiguous, frequently given as uplifting one-liners with minimal context. This time, however, the release was much more targetedโand possibly calculated.
A complete medical report had been demanded of Trump during the 2024 election campaign. Instead, he relied on previous letters from his doctors, including Dr. Ronny Jackson, who treated him after the 2023 assassination attempt, despite his repeated promises to do so.
Trump was in โexcellentโ health as of September 2023, according to a note from Dr. Bruce Aronwald that was made public on November 20, 2023, the day President Biden turned 81. But it provided neither details nor test results.
Steven Cheung, the director of Trumpโs campaign communications, defended the choice to withhold all information in October 2024: In addition to comprehensive briefings from Dr. Ronny Jackson, who treated him following the initial assassination attempt, President Trump has willingly made public updates from his personal physician.
Everyone has determined that he is in perfect health to serve as Commander in Chief. Cheung also made fun of Kamala Harris, Trumpโs opponent at the time: โUnlike any other politician in political history, he has kept up an incredibly active and busy campaign schedule, while Kamala Harris has struggled to meet the demands of campaigning.โ
The campaign even shared the findings of Trumpโs first-term 2018 cognitive test, which Trump supporters often referred to when concerns about mental acuity surfaced. However, no more cognitive test results were released between 2018 and 2025. Despite serving under both Obama and Trump, Dr. Jackson continued to be one of Trumpโs most outspoken defenders of his health.
The question is whether the test provides the whole picture, not if Trump can pass it. Furthermore, Wilson believes that the public is witnessing the actual symptoms of decline.
