By
- Tom Wrobleski | wrobleski@siadvance.com
The alarm is being raised about a new health risk for President Donald Trump: the 23 pounds that Trump may have gained since his last White House campaign
The Washington Post reported that in August 2023, Trump’s weight was listed at 215 pounds
The 6-foot-3 president weighed 238 pounds in May of this year, according to a White House report released that month and quoted by the Post
That weight, the Post said, “would make him about 1.6 pounds shy of being classified as ‘obese,’ as he was in 2019 and 2020, given his height.”
The administration said that the president had gained 14 pounds between his most recent annual medical checkups
According to the Post, White House physicians have said they’ve advised Trump to focus on weight loss, improving his diet and sustained physical activity
The president’s fondness for fast food, particularly McDonald’s, is well known
“We know that obesity is a strong risk factor for numerous health issues — as well as premature disability and death,” Scott Kahan, the director for the National Center for Weight and Wellness, and a George Washington University physician, told the Post. “Addressing obesity to protect the president’s health should be a priority similar to ensuring Secret Service protections for his life.”
Trump has demonstrated signs of healthy aging, the Post said
The president’s weekly White House schedule often includes intense periods of meetings, press events and public remarks, the outlet said
Trump spends many weekends playing golf
Trump’s doctors have repeatedly said that they’ve been impressed by the president’s energy, cognitive fitness and other positive markers, the Post reported
Trump in May jokingly defended his diet
“Maybe junk food is good and the other food is no good,” Trump said in the Oval Office. “I know many, many people that all they do is watch their weight, their this, their that, and they kicked the bucket, and here we are. I feel great.”
In a statement to the Post, the White House praised Trump’s fitness and contrasted the president with his predecessor, former President Joe Biden
“President Trump’s sharpness, unmatched energy, relentless work ethic and historic accessibility stand in stark contrast to what we saw during the last administration when Democrats and the legacy media intentionally covered up Joe Biden’s serious mental and physical decline from the American people,” spokesman Davis Ingle said in a statement. “President Trump is the sharpest and most accessible President in American history who is working nonstop to solve problems and deliver on his promises.”
