U.S. President Donald Trump repeatedly pushed back head-on against constant speculation about his health.
On the 1st (local time), the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) published an exclusive interview titled "As signs of aging show, Trump moves to confront them head-on." Born in 1946, President Trump will turn 80 in June. Trump has at times appeared to doze at events and has shortened his public schedule compared with before. This prompted questions about whether his health has worsened due to his advanced age.
Regarding this, Trump said, "I'm just closing (my eyes) for a moment. Sometimes people snap a photo the instant I blink." He added, "I'm not someone who sleeps a lot by nature," and said, "I have trouble sleeping soundly at night. I often text or call aides even after 2 a.m."
He said the dark bruises that often appear on the backs of his hands in news photos are due to taking aspirin. Trump said, "People say aspirin is good for thinning the blood. I don't want sticky blood flowing to my heart," adding, "They (the medical staff) want me to take a lower dose, but I'm taking a higher dose."
Regarding undergoing cardiovascular and abdominal imaging as part of a checkup in Oct. last year, Trump said, "In retrospect, I regret getting the tests because it gave a bit of an opening for attacks."
At the time, Trump was reported to have undergone cardiovascular and abdominal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), but he told the WSJ it was actually a computed tomography (CT) scan. The White House said then that the results were "normal." Trump said, "It wasn't an MRI," adding, "It was something less than that. It was just a scan."
Trump said in the interview that he starts his day early in the morning in the White House residence office and works in the Oval Office from around 10 a.m. until 7–8 p.m.
Trump said, "I inherited a lot of energy from parents who were vigorous into old age," adding, "Genes are very important. I have very good genes."