More than 48 hours after the release of President Donald Trump‘s annual medical examination prominent physicians claim the reports leaves many critical questions unanswered.
Why is the president undergoing such frequent check-ups? (Trump received a heart exam six months ago.)
What should the public make of the 79-year-old president’s swollen ankles and bruised hands?
And why does the commander-in-chief occasionally appear fatigued during daytime public events?
In an exclusive interview with the Daily Mail, Dr Stuart Fischer – a former emergency room doctor and practicing internist – conceded the report does not provide the public with enough information to fully evaluate Trump’s health, even as he dismissed some concerns as ‘foolish criticism.’
There is one issue, however, that Dr Fischer believes may be indicative of something ‘potentially very serious’: The president’s weight gain.
‘Someone has got to really quietly sit down and talk with him, and say, “You’re playing with fire,”‘ advised Dr Fischer, who noted Trump’s well-known penchant for McDonald’s.
Trump, who stands 6ft, 2.5 inches tall, now weighs 238 pounds, making him 14 pounds heavier than he was in April of last year, according to the White House medical records.
‘Someone has got to really quietly sit down and talk with him, and say, “You’re playing with fire,” advised Dr Fischer, who noted Trump’s well-known penchant for McDonald’s. (Pictured: President Trump at McDonald’s during a campaign stop in October, 2024)
Trump is seen with Elon Musk, Don Jr, Mike Johnson and RFK Jr enjoying McDonald’s
More than 48 hours after the release of President Donald Trump’s annual medical examination (above) prominent physicians claim the reports leaves many critical questions unanswered
‘The weight can be from a malignant form of circulatory problem… early congestive heart failure,’ warned Dr Fischer, who is a published diet expert and assisted famed weight loss specialist Dr Robert Atkins for nearly a decade.
Congestive heart failure is a dangerous condition during which the heart muscle becomes too weak to pump blood efficiently.
‘Maybe the heart is squeezing out a half or even a third in some people of what it should,’ explained Dr Fischer. ‘This is potentially very serious.’
There is no way to definitively determine, short of an independent evaluation, if the president suffers from such a congestive heart failure and his doctor reports that Trump ‘remains in excellent health, demonstrating strong cardiac, pulmonary, neurological and overall physical function.’ But that doesn’t mean there isn’t any cause for worry.
The president was diagnosed last July with chronic venous insufficiency (CVI), meaning his veins struggle to circulate blood back to the heart. CVI can cause swelling in the lower extremities and contribute to the retention of fluids and weight gain – and Trump’s annual physical does note ‘slight lower leg swelling,’ also known as ankle edema.
Such weight gain, of course, can cause significant physical strain.
‘It just by itself is a stressful phenomenon. Anyone could understand that if they take a 14-pound weight from the gym and walk around with it all day, it’s going to make a difference,’ said Dr Fischer.
He cautions that the swelling could also be indicative of the much more troubling condition: ‘The first sign of congestive heart failure is ankle edema.’
In July, President Donald Trump was diagnosed with chronic venous insufficiency, an explanation for why his ankles had suddenly started to look swollen
What should the public make of the 79-year-old president’s swollen ankles and bruised hands?
Dr Stuart Fischer is a former emergency room doctors, practicing internist and author of The Park Avenue Diet
As far as the litany of others concerns raised, Dr Fischer waved most of them off.
‘This is a 79-year-old pushing himself through the most exhausting schedule imaginable and this man won’t stop,’ said Dr Fischer, who attributed Trump’s occasional doziness to the President’s famously last nights. ‘I cannot believe that he can achieve a good night’s sleep in four or even five hours. It would be a miracle if it was true.’
If the president’s fatigue were related to another cause, it would likely be apparent in his blood test results, Dr Fischer said, though tiredness can also be the result of heart problems.
The bruising on Trump’s hands, Dr Fischer added, could be caused by handshakes engaged with too much gusto as well as natural signs of aging.
‘Osteoarthritis is aging of the joints, particularly the joints that move a lot. People get swollen phalanges of the hand. That area tends to become more inflamed and is easily recognized by the lay public.’
Whether the public should be concerned that Trump is undergoing regular medical testing, more than one a year, Dr Fischer said it is the sign of good preventative medicine – not much else.
Overall, Dr Fischer urged the president’s physicians to find a way to convince him to improve his diet and reduce his weight.
‘The fact that his doctors haven’t gotten through to him about weight, to me, is kind of interesting,’ he concluded. ‘It should be concerning. If it’s the first sign of [congestive heart failure], please don’t wait for the tenth sign of it.’