Just two dudes, who are definitely the same height, hanging out. Photo: Jemal Countess/WireImage

The White House doctor deemed Donald Trump in “excellent” health this week. The president passed a cognitive test, and the White House announced that Trump is 75 inches tall — six feet, three inches — and weighs 239 pounds. That weight is, if you are the sort of person who is inclined to believe in BMI as an accurate indicator of health, just barely shy of “obese.”

On Twitter, people were quick to question Trump’s physical results. “People” included MSNBC’s Chris Hayes, who offered up the term “girther” as a description of anybody skeptical of the president’s purported measurements, which quickly became a hashtag used by anybody sharing pictures of Trump next to somebody else who reportedly weighs 239 pounds. James Gunn offered to donate $100,000 to “Trump’s favorite charity” if the president would publicly step on a scale. Mostly, it was just a lot of pictures of Trump compared to pictures of tall dudes in very good shape.

Has anyone coined "girther" for those who belive the president weighs more than his doctor reports? — Chris Hayes (@chrislhayes) January 16, 2018

L: Vikings running back Latavius Murray. R: Donald Trump. Both listed officially at 6'3"/235 lbs. #Girther pic.twitter.com/nGEB0VdK33 — Dennis Perkins (@DennisPerkins5) January 16, 2018

Jay Cutler is 6'3" and 233. Donald Trump is 6'3" and 239. What a difference six pounds makes! pic.twitter.com/ECiWtPVtwn — Ronald Reagan’s Spinning Corpse (@SpinningRonnie) January 16, 2018

There’s a whole lot that could be going on here. It’s certainly possible that the White House fudged the numbers on Trump’s weight. But it’s more likely that Trump actually weighs 239 pounds, and comparing him to the 239-pound bodies of professional athletes is just skewing perceptions. Muscle, as the saying goes, weighs more than fat. It’s possible for the same amount of pounds to look very different on different bodies. BMI is considered absolute nonsense by many in the health industry, anyway.

Still, there is something to be said for the fact that the president, a 71-year-old man, appears to have grown an inch since 2012.

Reminder that earlier physicals decades ago put Trump height at 6’2”. The 6’3” height makes a difference on his BMI from overweight to obese https://t.co/iHIsJjustT — Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) January 16, 2018

For the record, @realDonaldTrump said he was 74 inches in 2012. Now his doctor says he's 75 inches. And that one inch makes is BMI "overweight" not "obese." I'm a #girther because old men don't GROW an inch! pic.twitter.com/ehNxF9PjPL — Gersh Kuntzman (@GershKuntzman) January 16, 2018