Donald Trump has confirmed that he wears compression stockings to treat his ankle amid growing concerns about his health as the oldest president of the United States.
In an explosive interview about his medical treatment, Trump also admitted that he puts makeup on his hands and said he takes so much aspirin every day to thin his blood that his hands bruise easily.
The Daily Beast first reported Trump’s efforts to hide his swollen ankles and makeup on his hands.
U.S. President Donald Trump wears a bandage on his right hand during an event at Mount Airy Casino Resort in Mount Pocono, Pennsylvania, on Dec. 9, 2025. /Alex Huang/Getty Images
The issues have been largely ignored by other media outlets, and the president and his inner circle have steadfastly denied that he has any problem.
But during the interview wall street journal On Thursday, Trump said he wears medical compression stockings to help relieve ankle swelling.
In mid-July, he went to Walter Reed Hospital after experiencing “mild swelling in his lower legs,” and an ultrasound revealed he had “chronic venous insufficiency,” a common condition in older adults that makes it more difficult for blood to flow from the legs to the heart through smaller veins.
Photo illustration of President Trump’s ankle on October 7, 2025. /Photo illustration: Thomas Levinson/The Daily Beast/Getty
Trump’s doctor, Navy Capt. Sean Barbabella, told the Wall Street Journal that Trump suffers from “superficial chronic venous insufficiency,” which he said is treatable.
Trump said he tried compression stockings but stopped because “I didn’t like them.”
The Daily Beast previously reported that the president appeared to be trying to hide his ankle while sitting under a determined desk in the Oval Office.
But now, he says, he’s trying to get up from his desk more and move around, another method recommended by doctors to reduce swelling.
This seemed to be all the practice he was prepared to do. “Walking or running for hours on a treadmill like some people do, that’s not for me,” he told the Journal.
Barbella said Trump takes 325 milligrams of aspirin every day – much larger than his usual 81 milligrams – to “prevent heart disease.”
Trump’s ankle and bruised hands have fueled speculation about the 79-year-old’s health. /Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
“They would rather I choose the smaller one,” the president said. “I choose the larger one, but I’ve been doing it for years and what it does is cause bruising.”
“I’m a bit superstitious,” he explains of his 25-year history of taking high-dose aspirin.
“They say aspirin helps thin the blood, and I don’t want thick blood flowing through my heart. I want good, thin blood flowing through my heart. Does that make sense?” Trump said.
His skin was so thin that when Pam Bundy gave him a high five at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, she cut his hand with a ring, causing it to bleed.
“The ring hit me on the back of my hand, and yes, there was a slight cut,” Trump said. Aides told the Journal that similar bloodshed had occurred on other occasions.
The president said in the interview that he put makeup on his hands after “being beaten again.”
President Donald Trump, who wore makeup during a Cabinet meeting on Monday, complained about reports that raised questions about his advanced age and health. /Chip Somodevilla/Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
“You know, my makeup goes on really easy, it takes about 10 seconds,” he added.
Trump, 79, the oldest president in U.S. history, has scoffed at suggestions that his physical and mental health is deteriorating.
He insisted in the interview that he was in excellent physical condition and attributed it to “good genes.”
