Trump again defends his health, cognitive skills

WASHINGTON – US President Donald Trump on Jan 2 touted his “perfect health” and cognitive skills, one day after publication of an interview in which the 79-year-old defended his fitness for office amid scrutiny over his well-being.

“The White House doctors have just reported that I am in ‘perfect health’, and that I ‘aced’ (meaning, was correct on 100 per cent of the questions asked!), for the third straight time, my cognitive examination, something which no other president, or previous vice-president, was willing to take,” Mr Trump posted on his Truth Social platform.

The Wall Street Journal on Jan 1 published an interview with Mr Trump – who at 79 is the oldest person to assume the US presidency – in which he

blamed aspirin for large bruises

on his hand and denied falling asleep during televised meetings.

Mr Trump also changed his previous statement about receiving an MRI scan last October, saying it was instead a quicker CT scan.

Mr Trump has based much of his political image on projecting vigour – whether through his frequent interactions with journalists, constant social media posting, or artificial intelligence memes depicting him as a superhero.

However, the first year of his second term in office has raised growing questions.

His right hand shows persistent bruising,

often covered with thick make-up

and at times a bandage, and his ankles have appeared swollen.

On occasion, Mr Trump has clearly struggled to keep his eyes open, including during an Oval Office meeting with health representatives in November.

Mr Trump told the Journal that he was not dozing, just relaxing.

“I’ll just close. It’s very relaxing to me,” he said. “Sometimes they’ll take a picture of me blinking, blinking, and they’ll catch me with the blink.”

In his post on Jan 2, Mr Trump added that any presidential or vice-presidential candidate should be required to take a “strong, meaningful and proven” cognitive exam.

“Our great country cannot be run by ‘stupid’ or incompetent people!” he wrote.

It was a swipe at his predecessor Joe Biden, the oldest president in US history, who dropped out of the 2024 presidential election after

a disastrous debate performance

raised concerns about the Democrat’s age and apparent decline. AFP