Trump is 'Fully Fit' to Serve as Commander in Chief, his Doctor Says

(FILES) US President Donald Trump waves to the crowd as he attends UFC 314 at the Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida, on April 12, 2025. (Photo by Mandel NGAN / AFP)
(FILES) US President Donald Trump waves to the crowd as he attends UFC 314 at the Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida, on April 12, 2025. (Photo by Mandel NGAN / AFP)
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Trump is 'Fully Fit' to Serve as Commander in Chief, his Doctor Says

(FILES) US President Donald Trump waves to the crowd as he attends UFC 314 at the Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida, on April 12, 2025. (Photo by Mandel NGAN / AFP)
(FILES) US President Donald Trump waves to the crowd as he attends UFC 314 at the Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida, on April 12, 2025. (Photo by Mandel NGAN / AFP)

Donald Trump’s doctor says the oldest man to be elected president is “fully fit” to serve as commander in chief as the White House released the results of Trump's physical exam from Friday.
Trump is 78, and his physician, Navy Capt. Sean Barbabella, cited what he said is Trump’s “active lifestyle” and said it “continues to contribute significantly” to the Republican president's well-being. Trump turns 79 on June 14.
In a report released Sunday, the doctor said in a summary that Trump is “fully fit to execute the duties of Commander-in-Chief and Head of State.”
The results showed Trump has dropped 20 pounds since his last physical as president in 2020. He weighed 244 pounds back then and is now down to 224 pounds, The Associated Press reported.
The exam summary noted that Trump previously had cataract surgery. A common procedure among aging people, the surgery typically involves removing a cloudy eye lens and replacing it with an artificial lens to help clear up vision.
Barbabella said Trump’s days include participating in multiple meetings, public appearances, media availabilities and “frequent victories in golf events.” Trump is an avid golfer and said he recently won tournaments played at clubs he owns in Florida
Trump’s cholesterol levels have improved over time, helped by the medications rosuvastatin and ezetimibe.
At his physical in January 2018, his total cholesterol was 223. In early 2019, the reading came in at 196 and it stood at 167 in 2020. Today it is 140. Ideally, total cholesterol should be less than 200.
His blood pressure was 128 over 74. That is considered elevated, and people in that situation are likely to develop high blood pressure unless steps are taken to control the condition.
Trump has a resting heart rate of 62 beats per minute, in line with previous tests. A normal resting heart rate for adults ranges from 60 beats to 100 beats per minute, and generally, a lower rate implies better cardiovascular fitness.
Trump also takes aspirin, which can reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke.



Trump Is Taking Elon Musk on His Asia Trip, but He Plans to Avoid Talking About Nvidia Scandal

US President Donald Trump presents the National Medal of Science to Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk during the "A New Golden Age" summit at the US Institute of Peace, renamed The Donald J. Trump Institute of Peace by the Trump administration, in Washington, DC, US, October 8, 2026. (Reuters)
US President Donald Trump presents the National Medal of Science to Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk during the "A New Golden Age" summit at the US Institute of Peace, renamed The Donald J. Trump Institute of Peace by the Trump administration, in Washington, DC, US, October 8, 2026. (Reuters)
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Trump Is Taking Elon Musk on His Asia Trip, but He Plans to Avoid Talking About Nvidia Scandal

US President Donald Trump presents the National Medal of Science to Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk during the "A New Golden Age" summit at the US Institute of Peace, renamed The Donald J. Trump Institute of Peace by the Trump administration, in Washington, DC, US, October 8, 2026. (Reuters)
US President Donald Trump presents the National Medal of Science to Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk during the "A New Golden Age" summit at the US Institute of Peace, renamed The Donald J. Trump Institute of Peace by the Trump administration, in Washington, DC, US, October 8, 2026. (Reuters)

President Donald Trump plans to take the world's wealthiest man, Elon Musk, with him next week when he travels to the Philippines and China.

As the head of SpaceX and Tesla, Musk has economic and national security interests that make him a valuable adviser to Trump, according to administration officials who insisted on anonymity as a condition for previewing the president's plans on a Friday call with reporters.

The journey comes as the fallout spreads from Jensen Huang being ousted as the CEO of Nvidia for having an extramarital affair with an alleged agent of the Chinese government. Beijing denies that Alice Huang is a spy. Her company Megaspeed was accused last year of shipping Nvidia's advanced computer chips into China.

But Trump does not plan to confront Chinese leader Xi Jinping on the matter and administration officials do not expect Chinese retaliation for any follow-up actions to prohibit China from smuggling or using advanced computer chips, officials told reporters.

The administration believes the situation with Nvidia should not have any bearing on the trip, as the US does not make its use of export controls subject to negotiations with foreign countries. Trump's aides are discussing the possibility of closing loopholes in existing trade measures, including the use of export licensing and preventing the ability of Chinese firms to use advanced chips over the internet through remote access.

The trip will be capped with a historic trilateral meeting with Xi and Russian leader Vladimir Putin, where efforts to limit nuclear weapons will be a chief topic. Still, there are no plans for Trump to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, whose nuclear arsenal has been a source of consternation to the US and its allies.

Trump is set to arrive Tuesday in the Philippines to meet with his counterparts in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. While in Manila, he intends to sign a trade deal with Thailand and meet with the Quad, an alliance composed of the US, India, Australia and Japan.

On Wednesday, Trump will leave for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Shenzhen, China, where he’ll have his third in-person meeting this year with Xi. Afterward, Trump and Xi will hold their joint meeting with Putin.

The leaders are expected to talk about the Iran war, but Russia's war in Ukraine is not expected to be part of the agenda, officials said and Musk, whose Starlink system has been integral to Ukraine's ability to fight back against Russia's invasion, will not be part of the trilateral meeting.


South Sudan Delays Election to February 2027

South Sudan People's Defense Forces (SSPDF) officers attend the funeral of Sudan's late former Vice President Joseph Lagu, near the Dr John Garang Mausoleum in Juba, South Sudan, November 13, 2026. (Reuters)
South Sudan People's Defense Forces (SSPDF) officers attend the funeral of Sudan's late former Vice President Joseph Lagu, near the Dr John Garang Mausoleum in Juba, South Sudan, November 13, 2026. (Reuters)
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South Sudan Delays Election to February 2027

South Sudan People's Defense Forces (SSPDF) officers attend the funeral of Sudan's late former Vice President Joseph Lagu, near the Dr John Garang Mausoleum in Juba, South Sudan, November 13, 2026. (Reuters)
South Sudan People's Defense Forces (SSPDF) officers attend the funeral of Sudan's late former Vice President Joseph Lagu, near the Dr John Garang Mausoleum in Juba, South Sudan, November 13, 2026. (Reuters)

South Sudan has pushed back its national elections to February 11, 2027, according to a timetable issued by the country's National Elections Commission, in another delay to its first election since independence in 2011. No ‌reason was ‌given for the ‌postponement.

⁠Presidential and parliamentary ⁠elections were scheduled for December 22.

In September, the United Nations Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan said the ⁠country lacked safeguards ‌and conditions for ‌peaceful and credible elections.

"This is ‌the timeline we ‌have come up with after a thorough consultation with the stakeholders," Josephine Achiro Fortelo, commissioner of ‌the National Election Commission and its spokesperson, told ⁠Reuters ⁠on Saturday, confirming the electoral date had been changed.

South Sudan has been formally at peace since a 2018 deal ended a five-year conflict responsible for hundreds of thousands of deaths, but violence between rival communities flares frequently.


Iran’s Navy Says Oil Tanker on Fire After Hitting Mine in Hormuz

Vessels at the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from Musandam, Oman, October 12, 2026. (Reuters)
Vessels at the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from Musandam, Oman, October 12, 2026. (Reuters)
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Iran’s Navy Says Oil Tanker on Fire After Hitting Mine in Hormuz

Vessels at the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from Musandam, Oman, October 12, 2026. (Reuters)
Vessels at the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from Musandam, Oman, October 12, 2026. (Reuters)

Iran's navy said an oil tanker caught fire on Saturday ‌morning after ‌hitting a ‌naval ⁠mine in the eastern ⁠Strait of Hormuz, Iranian state media reported.

Reuters could not ⁠immediately verify the ‌report.

Iran ‌has imposed ‌restrictions on vessels ‌seeking to pass through the Strait of Hormuz and ‌has attacked ships it says violated ⁠those ⁠restrictions, as it seeks to assert control over the strategic waterway and exert pressure on the US.