Donald Trump made headlines recently when he claimed that a former White House physician, Ronny Jackson, informed him that he is “by far the healthiest” when compared to former Presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden. The 79-year-old former president made this statement during a speech at the White House on Tuesday, Dec. 16. Trump began his speech by addressing the tragic mass shooting in Bondi Beach, Sydney, Australia, that occurred on Dec. 14, resulting in 15 fatalities and multiple injuries.
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During his speech, Trump praised Ronny Jackson, who served as his physician during part of his term and also during the second Obama administration. He recounted how Jackson had been asked who among Trump, Obama, and Biden was the healthiest, to which Jackson reportedly responded that Trump was the healthiest. Jackson has a distinguished career as a retired naval officer and has also served as the Republican congressman for Texas’ 13th Congressional District since 2021.
Despite Biden having a different physician during his presidency, Trump asserted that Jackson was the doctor for all three presidents, emphasizing that Jackson had deemed him the healthiest. While representatives for Obama and Jackson did not immediately respond for comment, Jackson has previously faced controversies, including being demoted by the Navy in 2022 for alleged misconduct during his time in the White House.
This is not the first time Jackson has publicly commented on Trump’s health. In August, he stated that Trump is the healthiest president the nation has ever seen, asserting this without mentioning other presidents by name. Trump himself previously mentioned Jackson’s assessment of his health during a gala in 2024, where he was described as the healthiest among Obama, Trump, and Bush, according to Newsweek.
In response to ongoing questions about Trump’s health, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt shared information about MRI tests that Trump underwent at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in October. The results, as reported by current White House physician Sean Barbabella, indicated a clean bill of health for the former president. Despite being diagnosed with chronic venous insufficiency in July, Trump remains in “excellent overall health” according to the physician.
As the oldest person to be elected president in the United States, Trump’s health has been a topic of interest. His claim to be the healthiest president has sparked discussions and comparisons among past and present leaders’ health statuses. Whether Trump’s recent statements regarding his health will have any impact on public perception or future political endeavours remains to be seen. The debate surrounding the health of political figures serves as a reminder of the public’s interest in the well-being of their leaders and the implications it may have on their leadership.