Physician says president has benefited from ‘a lifetime of abstinence from tobacco and alcohol’ though he could stand to exercise more

He does not exercise, has a long history of eating McDonald’s and drinking Diet Coke, and is just short of obese. Yet Donald Trump’s health is “excellent”, his mind is “sharp” and he only needs four or five hours’ sleep a night, the presidential physician said on Tuesday.

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How can that be? “Some people have just great genes,” a navy doctor, Ronny Jackson, told reporters at the White House. “I told the president that if he had a healthier diet over the last 20 years, he might live to be 200 years old ... But I would say the answer to your question is he has incredibly good genes and it’s just the way God made him.”

It is the kind of language that the US president will appreciate. But it drained the room like air escaping a crumpled balloon. Some in the media had come to bury Caesar, not to praise him, only to find the good doctor swatting away every sceptical question with a sunny optimism that would have been mocked as hyperbole if it had come from Trump’s own mouth.

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“He is fit for duty,” Jackson insisted, disappointing the president’s critics, then rubbing salt in their wounds. “I think he will remain fit for duty for the remainder of this term and even for the remainder of another term if he’s elected.”

There was also news that will come as little surprise to anyone who follows Trump’s Twitter feed. “He doesn’t sleep much,” Jackson said, estimating that Trump got four to five hours a night. “He’s probably been that way his whole life. That’s probably been one of the reasons he’s been successful.”

It was an insight that evoked memories of the former British prime minister Margaret Thatcher, who got by on four hours a night.

The annual presidential physical exam, carried out last Friday, took about four hours and involved 12 medical consultants. Jackson, promising that he would hold nothing back, began with a summary of the findings: Trump is 6ft 3in tall and weighs 239lb. His body mass index (BMI) of 29.9 puts him in the category of being overweight for his height. A BMI of 30 or higher is considered obese.

The measurement quickly sparked a #Girther movement on social media, questioning the truth of the president’s weight.

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His blood pressure was 122 over 74, which is normal, and his total cholesterol was 223, which is higher than recommended. He has a resting heart rate of 68 beats per minute, with regular rhythm and no abnormal sounds.



Jackson said he would increase Trump’s current low dose of the statin drug Crestor in an effort to get his so-called “bad” cholesterol, or LDL level, below 120; it is presently 143. Trump is also taking the medications aspirin, Propecia – to prevent male pattern hair loss – and a multivitamin.

“The president’s overall health is excellent,” Jackson said. “He had great findings across the board but his cardiac health stood out. Hands down he is in the excellent range ... He continues to enjoy the significant long-term cardiac and overall health benefits that come from a lifetime of abstinence from tobacco and alcohol.”

And yet Trump, 71, the oldest person ever elected to the presidency, is infamous for long decades of dining on burgers and doing little to keep fit apart from regular rounds of golf. Jackson admitted: “I would say right now, on a day to day basis, he doesn’t have a dedicated, defined exercise programme, so that’s what I’m working on.”

But even nothing has its upside: “The good part is we can build on that prettily easily.” There were chortles in the room.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest The presidential physician said of Donald Trump’s health: ‘He doesn’t sleep much. That’s probably been one of the reasons he’s been successful.’ Photograph: Xinhua/Rex/Shutterstock

Jackson found yet more grounds to be positive: travelling overseas last year, on 14 or 16-hour days, the staff were exhausted but “the president had more stamina and more energy that just about anybody there”.

But the doctor will work with the first lady, Melania Trump, to develop an aerobic exercise routine for the president. “The president has acknowledged that he’d be healthier if he lost a few pounds,” he said.

As for Trump’s diet, that too has improved, according to Jackson. “He’s gone to the White House now: he’s eating what the chefs are cooking for him. They’re cooking a healthier diet for him now and we’re going to continue to work on them, make that even healthier.”

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The check-up also included a cognitive assessment at Trump’s own request, in part as an attempt to combat a recent spate of stories raising concerns about his mental health following the publication of Michael Wolff’s book Fire and Fury. At the time, Trump tweeted that he was a “stable genius”.



The president did “exceedingly well”, scoring 30 out of 30 on the Montreal Cognitive Assessment which screens for illnesses such as Alzheimer’s and dementia. Jackson added: “He’s very sharp. He’s very articulate when he speaks to me and I’ve never known him to repeat himself around me. He says what he’s got to say. He speaks his mind. I’ve found no reason whatsoever to think the president has any issues whatsoever with his thought process.”

And although Trump is facing a nuclear showdown with North Korea, criticism from the media and record low approval ratings, it seems he never gets stressed. “I’ve never seen the president stressed out about too much ... He has a very unique ability to just get up in the morning and reset.”



There were questions about TV, Twitter and drugs, but still Jackson failed to throw the reporters a bone during the hour long session. Jackson said Trump had told the White House press secretary, Sarah Sanders, to allow the doctor to remain at the podium and not leave any questions unanswered.