President Donald Trump says a daily aspirin habit, taken in large doses for more than 25 years and against his doctor’s advice, explains the persistent bruises on his hands that have fueled months of speculation about his health. But the president’s own explanation, delivered in a rambling and defensive interview, has only deepened concerns about his fitness for office.
Trump, 79, told The Wall Street Journal he takes 325 milligrams of aspirin every day, four times the commonly recommended low dose, because he believes it keeps his blood from becoming “too thick,” despite doctors urging him to scale back.
“I’m a little superstitious,” Trump said, dismissing medical guidance while insisting he has no plans to stop. He later attributed the dark bruising on his hands, which has been visible at public events for months, directly to the aspirin.
The bruises first drew attention earlier this year, when reporters questioned their appearance and the White House claimed they were the result of “frequent handshaking.” The marks resurfaced again at the Kennedy Center Honors, prompting renewed scrutiny. Trump now admits he often covers the bruises with makeup after getting “whacked again by someone,” saying it takes him “about 10 seconds” to conceal them.
The aspirin revelation comes amid a steady drumbeat of questions about Trump’s physical and mental health, from swollen ankles linked to chronic venous insufficiency to repeated instances of apparent confusion and loss of focus during speeches. Critics have pointed to his tendency to drift into off-topic monologues, his visible fatigue, and multiple moments in which cameras appeared to catch him nodding off during official events.
Trump has brushed off those incidents as optical illusions, claiming images of him dozing were merely photos taken mid-blink.
“I’ll just close. It’s very relaxing to me,” he said, insisting there is nothing unusual about his behavior. Staffers have reportedly asked cabinet members to speak louder during meetings, though aides deny the president has any hearing issues.
Despite White House assurances that Trump is in “exceptional health,” the president himself has expressed frustration over how much attention his condition has drawn. He complained that releasing the results of a cardiovascular and abdominal scan last fall — initially described as a “routine MRI,” though such imaging is not standard in physical exams — only gave critics “ammunition.”
“I would have been a lot better off if they didn’t,” Trump said, insisting once again that “nothing’s wrong.”
Yet his own admissions paint a different picture: a president who sleeps little, avoids exercise beyond golf because it’s “boring,” maintains a high-fat diet, and overrides medical advice based on personal beliefs, all while asking the public to take his word that his health is “perfect.”
And now, by placing aspirin at the center of his explanation, Trump has offered a new symbol of what critics say is the real concern: not just his health, but his willingness to ignore doctors, dismiss evidence, and trust his own instincts above all else.
Social media had a field day responding to Trump’s comments in the interview.
“Well he’s an idiot and a pathological liar,” one Threads user wrote. “Now you know you can’t tell Dr. Trump anything as he knows better than someone who actually went to medical school,” another said. “Because he knows more than the doctors. Just like he knows more than the generals and the diplomats and the climate scientists and …” a Threads user wrote.
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