Trump ‘In Excellent Health’ but Should Lose Weight, Says Presidential Physician

US President Donald Trump reacts during a Cabinet meeting in the Cabinet Room of the White House in Washington, DC, USA, 27 May 2026. (EPA)
US President Donald Trump reacts during a Cabinet meeting in the Cabinet Room of the White House in Washington, DC, USA, 27 May 2026. (EPA)
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Trump ‘In Excellent Health’ but Should Lose Weight, Says Presidential Physician

US President Donald Trump reacts during a Cabinet meeting in the Cabinet Room of the White House in Washington, DC, USA, 27 May 2026. (EPA)
US President Donald Trump reacts during a Cabinet meeting in the Cabinet Room of the White House in Washington, DC, USA, 27 May 2026. (EPA)

Donald Trump's doctor said he was in "excellent health" but advised him to lose weight, the White House said Friday, after the US president's annual medical check-up weeks before his 80th birthday.

Republican Trump, the oldest president ever inaugurated, has repeatedly boasted about his mental and physical vigor compared to his Democratic predecessor Joe Biden.

But Trump's medical and dental check-up on Tuesday at the Walter Reed Military Hospital near Washington followed questions about his apparent sleepiness in meetings and bruising on his hand.

"President Trump remains in excellent health, demonstrating strong cardiac, pulmonary, neurological, and overall physical function," said Trump's doctor, US Navy Captain Sean Barbabella, in a memo published by the White House.

The three-page memo provides an overview of Trump's physical examination and diagnostic testing, in which Barbabella concludes that the leader is "fully fit to carry out all duties of the Commander-in-Chief and Head of State."

"Preventative counseling was provided, including guidance on diet, recommendation to take a low-dose aspirin, increased physical activity, and continued weight loss," it said.

According to the memo, Trump -- who stands at six foot three inches (191 cm) tall -- weighs 238 pounds (108 kilograms), 14 pounds (6.4 kilograms) higher than his last full annual medical in April last year.

Trump's cardiac age is estimated to be "approximately 14 years younger than his chronological age."

Trump scored "30 out of 30" in the cognitive assessment.

The president has spoken dozens of times about "acing" a cognitive test that he claims his predecessors have not taken.

- 'Frequent handshaking' -

Trump, who turns 80 on June 14, is on three medications, two of which are designated for cholesterol control and the third being aspirin for "cardiac prevention."

Since returning to office, the Republican has often appeared with bruising on his right hand, usually covered with make-up.

"Examination of the dorsal hands revealed ecchymosis (bruising), consistent with minor soft tissue irritation related to frequent handshaking in the setting of aspirin use for cardiovascular prevention," the memo said regarding Trump's bruised hands.

During a number of White House events, the president has also been seen apparently closing his eyes for several seconds, although he has repeatedly denied dozing off.

Last summer, the White House disclosed that he had been evaluated for swelling in his legs and diagnosed with chronic venous insufficiency -- a common condition in which faulty vein valves allow blood to pool, causing swelling, cramping and skin changes.

The revelation came after Trump was seen with swollen ankles on a number of occasions.

The memo also noted "scarring of the right ear consistent with prior gunshot injury."

Trump was the target of an assassination attempt during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania in 2024. A gunman fired several shots, killing a rally goer and lightly wounding the president in the ear.

- 'Perfect' health -

Trump, for his part, said Tuesday's medical went "PERFECTLY" in a post on his Truth Social platform shortly after the appointment.

The White House later posted a picture of him on social media with the caption: "PERFECT BILL OF HEALTH!"

Following the president's check-up, US media reported that the White House had broken with precedent by not releasing the report, before it did so three days later.

The White House normally releases a summary of presidential physicals within hours or days, but the extent of the detail it gives is entirely at its own discretion.

Trump has long been accused of a lack of transparency about his health and the chronology of his various check-ups during his second term has only added to the confusion.

He referred to Tuesday's appointment as a "six-month physical," despite the White House billing it as an annual dental and medical examination in an announcement earlier this month.

Tuesday's medical examination was Trump's third since returning to office last year.

Trump's last scheduled annual check-up was in April last year. But it was followed by an unannounced hospital visit that October, which the White House then also described as an annual physical.



Iran Warns of Domestic Gas Shortages from War This Winter

 People walk through the rain near Tehran's traditional main bazaar in Tehran, Iran, Saturday, Nov. 7, 2026. (AP)
People walk through the rain near Tehran's traditional main bazaar in Tehran, Iran, Saturday, Nov. 7, 2026. (AP)
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Iran Warns of Domestic Gas Shortages from War This Winter

 People walk through the rain near Tehran's traditional main bazaar in Tehran, Iran, Saturday, Nov. 7, 2026. (AP)
People walk through the rain near Tehran's traditional main bazaar in Tehran, Iran, Saturday, Nov. 7, 2026. (AP)

Iran's government has ‌warned of worsening internal gas shortages this winter as a result of damage to processing facilities in the war with the United States that could lead to cuts in supply.

"If the level of consumption is high it is possible that gas cuts will occur all over the country including in Tehran," government spokesperson Fatemeh Mohajerani said in a news conference in Tehran on Tuesday.

Iran, a major oil producer, controls part of the world's biggest natural gas ‌field but has ‌sometimes faced difficulty meeting domestic demand ‌because ⁠of outdated equipment, worsened by ⁠international sanctions. It is now subject to a US blockade of its ports.

The country faced some gas shortages and power cuts even before the conflict that began with a US and Israeli air campaign on February 28, a situation which has now worsened.

Mohajerani forecast a ⁠shortfall of 430 million cubic meters in gas ‌supply this year, compared ‌to about 300 million cubic meters in previous years.

National Iranian Gas ‌Company managing director Saeed Tavakoli said this month there ‌had been damage to four processing plants during the first phase of the conflict early this year, which initially reduced capacity by 230 million cubic meters, of which around 100 million ‌had so far been restored.

Last week the company warned that 11 of Iran's 31 ⁠provinces could ⁠face supply difficulties this winter, naming Mazandaran on the Caspian coast, and Golestan and North Khorasan along Iran's border with Turkmenistan, as most vulnerable.

Political leaders have urged Iranians to use less gas. Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf on Sunday called on Iranians to cut their gas use by 10% ahead of the winter.

Iran's First Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref was cited by state news agency IRNA on Monday as saying gas prices could rise as a result of the reduced supply if consumption was excessive.


Iran Slams US’s ‘Repugnant’ $20Mn Reward for Nuclear Info

Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi looks on after a session of the United Nations Conference on Disarmament, on the sideline of a second round of US-Iranian nuclear negotiations in Geneva, on Feb. 17, 2026. (AFP/Getty Images)
Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi looks on after a session of the United Nations Conference on Disarmament, on the sideline of a second round of US-Iranian nuclear negotiations in Geneva, on Feb. 17, 2026. (AFP/Getty Images)
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Iran Slams US’s ‘Repugnant’ $20Mn Reward for Nuclear Info

Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi looks on after a session of the United Nations Conference on Disarmament, on the sideline of a second round of US-Iranian nuclear negotiations in Geneva, on Feb. 17, 2026. (AFP/Getty Images)
Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi looks on after a session of the United Nations Conference on Disarmament, on the sideline of a second round of US-Iranian nuclear negotiations in Geneva, on Feb. 17, 2026. (AFP/Getty Images)

Iran hit out at the United States' $20 million reward for information on its nuclear program on Wednesday, calling it "repugnant and regrettable".

Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi urged the United Nations' atomic energy agency and the Security Council to condemn the reward, which was announced last week.

Last Friday, the US military said up to $20 million and "possible relocation" were available for information about the program's "facilities, equipment, and associated personnel".

"Iran calls upon the UN Secretary-General, the Security Council, and the Director General of the IAEA to condemn this repugnant announcement explicitly and unequivocally," Araghchi wrote in a letter addressed to all three.

He repeated Iran's insistence that its nuclear program is peaceful.

US President Donald Trump has repeatedly said Iran's nuclear program was effectively obliterated by the brief US strikes on key Iranian nuclear facilities during the 12-day war between Iran and Israel in June 2025.

Since that war, Iran has blocked International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors from visiting bombed facilities at Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan.

War broke out between Iran and the United States on February 28 when US-Israeli strikes killed the country’s supreme leader Ali Khamenei.

During the war's most intense phase, US-Israeli strikes hit Iranian nuclear sites again, but the scale of the damage remains unclear.

Diplomatic efforts, led by Qatar and Pakistan, have been underway to negotiate an end to the war.

Tehran has insisted Washington accepts a raft of demands including unfreezing assets and lifting sanctions in return for reopening the Strait of Hormuz, the vital energy conduit it has blockaded since the start of the conflict.

Araghchi previously said that talks over Iran's nuclear program would come at a later stage.

Iran's nuclear program has been at the center of tensions for years. In 2018, during Trump's first term, the US withdrew from an agreement struck under Barack Obama that aimed to stop it developing nuclear weapons in return for sanctions relief.


German Military Bans Chinese-Made Drones

 Chinese-manufactured EHANG-E216 passenger drone taxi flies over the Colombo Port city during its first test flight in Colombo on November 11, 2026. (AFP)
Chinese-manufactured EHANG-E216 passenger drone taxi flies over the Colombo Port city during its first test flight in Colombo on November 11, 2026. (AFP)
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German Military Bans Chinese-Made Drones

 Chinese-manufactured EHANG-E216 passenger drone taxi flies over the Colombo Port city during its first test flight in Colombo on November 11, 2026. (AFP)
Chinese-manufactured EHANG-E216 passenger drone taxi flies over the Colombo Port city during its first test flight in Colombo on November 11, 2026. (AFP)

The German military has banned the use of Chinese-made drones, including for training, and is replacing them with European models, the defense ministry said on Wednesday.

Citing the need for data and IT security, the ministry said that "Chinese-made models will no longer be used ... and existing systems will be replaced by products from domestic or, where applicable, European sources".

News magazine Der Spiegel first reported on the decision, based on worries the drones could transmit data on military exercises, training grounds or weapons systems to Chinese intelligence services.

The ministry said the armed forces, the Bundeswehr, had used "inexpensive, off-the-shelf drones for training purposes", buying them "with minimal bureaucratic effort".

"To strengthen the Bundeswehr's self-sufficiency and technological sovereignty, Chinese-made models will no longer be used for target or training purposes," its statement said.