President Donald Trump, 79, went on a tirade early Friday morning, insisting he was in “excellent health” as concerns grew about his apparent mental and physical decline.
Trump wrote on “Truth Social”: “The White House doctor just reported that I am ‘very healthy’ and that I am ‘ACED’ (meaning, the questions I asked are 100% correct!). This is the third consecutive cognitive test that I have undergone, something no other president or former vice president has been willing to undergo.”
“Also, I firmly believe that anyone running for President or Vice President should be mandated to take a robust, meaningful, proven cognitive test. Our great country cannot be run by ‘dumb’ or incompetent people!”
Donald Trump is often spotted with bruises on his hands. /Chip Somodevilla/Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
Trump has often bragged about passing the Montreal Cognitive Assessment, a test used to detect early signs of cognitive impairment or dementia, dismissing claims of mental decline. The test involves tasks such as drawing a clock to show a specific time and identifying animals.
During a speech in North Carolina in December 2025, Trump also proudly told the audience how he had “passed” such a test.
“The first question was, ‘What is this?’ They showed a lion, a giraffe, a fish and a hippopotamus. They said, ‘Which one is the giraffe?'” Trump said.
“I don’t think Joe [Biden] He added, “He can speak hippopotamus.” “I want hippopotamus,”
Donald Trump covered up an unsightly bruise on his hand with a splotch of makeup. /Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/Getty Images
The Daily Beast has been a leader in reporting on concerns about the president’s health, including frequently documenting how Trump covered large bruises on his hands with makeup and tried to hide his swollen ankles as much as possible.
In a remarkably candid interview published by the Wall Street Journal on January 1, Trump — the oldest sitting president in U.S. history — was forced to address his own health issues, and in doing so, reneged on previous assurances he had made to the public.
He revealed that his second physical exam last year at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center involved a CT scan, not an MRI as previously disclosed. Navy Capt. Sean Barbabella, who examined Trump, told the Wall Street Journal that the CT scan was done to “definitely rule out any cardiovascular issues.”
The White House confirmed in July 2025 that Trump had been diagnosed with chronic venous insufficiency, a disease that causes swelling in the lower legs.
Trump told the Wall Street Journal that he briefly wore compression stockings to relieve ankle pain but stopped because he didn’t like them. The president also made a shocking admission that he took more aspirin than doctors recommended for “cardiac prevention.”
“They say aspirin helps thin the blood, and I don’t want thick blood flowing through my heart,” Trump said. “I want good, thin blood flowing through my heart. Does that make sense?”
Trump blamed the frequent bruises on his hands on his daily dose of aspirin, which he desperately tried to cover up with concealer.
For months, White House press secretary Carolyn Leavitt has given a boilerplate response when asked about the bruises by The Daily Beast, insisting they were the result of the president “meeting and shaking hands with more Americans every day than any other president in history.”
Donald Trump, 79, also denied falling asleep during the White House event, insisting he was just resting his eyes. /Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
Trump also admitted that he was so vulnerable that Attorney General Pam Bondi scratched him with a ring at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee in July 2024, causing his hand to bleed.
“The ring hit me on the back of my hand, and yeah, there was a slight cut,” Trump told the Wall Street Journal of the incident, which reportedly caused panic among members of his inner circle.
Trump said he would put makeup on his hands every time he “got hit hard again.”
“You know, my makeup goes on really easy. It takes about 10 seconds,” he said.
