Medical Warnings Over Trump's Weight
President Donald Trump's weight has become a focus of medical scrutiny after a White House report showed he weighed 238 pounds in May, up from 215 pounds on his August 2023 Georgia booking record. The 23-pound increase has prompted warnings from physicians about the health risks associated with obesity.
Dr. Scott Kahan, director of the National Center for Weight and Wellness, told The Washington Post: "We know that obesity is a strong risk factor for numerous health issues—as well as premature disability and death. Addressing obesity to protect the president's health should be a priority similar to ensuring Secret Service protections for his life."
At 6-foot-3, Trump's reported weight places him just 1.6 pounds short of the BMI threshold for obesity, according to multiple reports. BMI is a screening measure based on height and weight and is not considered a definitive diagnostic tool.
Dr. Stuart Fischer, a former emergency room doctor, told the Daily Mail in June: "Someone has got to really quietly sit down and talk with him, and say, 'You're playing with fire.'" He added that it was "kind of interesting" that Trump's doctors had not gotten through to him about weight.
White House Response and Medical History
The White House has acknowledged a 14-pound gain since Trump's previous physical. White House physicians have advised the 80-year-old president to focus on weight loss, improve his diet, and maintain sustained physical activity. In a July physical, White House physician Dr. Sean Barbabella said Trump was in "excellent health" with strong cardiac, pulmonary, neurological and overall physical function, and received guidance on diet, physical activity and weight loss.
White House spokesman Davis Ingle said Trump's "sharpness, unmatched energy, relentless work ethic and historic accessibility" contrast with the previous administration, adding that Trump is the sharpest and most accessible president in history. The White House has pointed to Trump's energy and stamina, with physicians impressed by his cognitive fitness and demanding schedule.
Trump's weight has fluctuated over the years. His first-term physician, Ronny Jackson, wrote in a 2022 memoir: "I told him he could do a better job with his diet, and he would be a little healthier if he exercised and lost some weight, but other than that, he was in outstanding shape for his age." During his first term, Trump weighed 243 pounds in February 2019 and 244 pounds in June 2020, both putting him in the obese category. In September 2016, a letter from his physician put his weight at 236 pounds, and in January 2018, Jackson said Trump weighed 239 pounds, about one pound shy of obesity, and recommended losing 10-15 pounds.
Diet and Lifestyle
Trump's eating habits have been well documented. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said Trump eats "really bad food," including McDonald's, candy, and Diet Coke, and has "the constitution of a deity." Florida state Senator Joe Gruters, chairman of the Republican National Committee, described Trump's McDonald's order on the campaign trail: hot fries, a Filet-O-Fish, a Quarter Pounder, and a Big Mac, and combined two of them.
Trump has spoken openly about his distaste for exercise, calling it "boring" in a January interview, and has defended his diet, saying in May in the Oval Office: "Maybe junk food is good and the other food is no good... I feel great."
In a podcast with Usha Vance, Trump compared himself to William Howard Taft, the heaviest US president at more than 300 pounds, saying: "He was our heaviest president, and I have to be careful because I don't want to supersede his record."
Broader Health Concerns
Beyond weight, Trump has faced scrutiny over bruising on his hands, swelling in his ankles, and apparent drowsiness. In July 2025, he was diagnosed with chronic venous insufficiency after experiencing swelling in his lower legs. Dr. Jonathan Reiner, who treated former Vice President Dick Cheney, said some aspects of Trump's health require greater explanation, pointing to bruising, leg swelling, and drowsiness.
The White House has not directly responded to questions about the president's weight, instead emphasizing his energy and stamina. More than 40 percent of adult Americans are obese, and over 30 percent are overweight, according to federal data. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and other senior officials have identified reducing Americans' weight as a priority under the "Make America Healthy Again" campaign.
David Kessler, former head of the Food and Drug Administration, spoke to The Washington Post about the risks of visceral adiposity—fat around the liver, pancreas, and heart—without commenting specifically on Trump. "That fat around the midsection—that visceral adiposity—is fat around our liver, pancreas, our heart where it doesn't belong," he said.
The Washington Post reported that the origin of the 2023 booking weight is unclear. Trump has said he has never taken a GLP-1 drug, and the White House denied that he received retatrutide after Stat News reported the administration worked with Eli Lilly to expedite access for an unnamed 79-year-old patient.