US President has been diagnosed with a common, benign vein condition, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Thursday.
“In recent weeks, President Trump noted mild swelling in his lower legs,” Leavitt told journalists at a White House press briefing.
She said medical tests “revealed chronic venous insufficiency (CVI), a benign and common condition, particularly in individuals over the age of 70.” Trump is 79 years old.
The announcement comes amid speculation regarding images showing Trump with a bruised hand and swollen legs.
Leavitt claimed that the bruised hand was due to Trump shaking hands with so many people and because he takes aspirin. Trump takes aspirin to mitigate heart attack and stroke risk.
Leavitt said laboratory testing found no evidence that Trump faces “deep vein thrombosis or arterial disease.”
A letter published by the White House from presidential physician Sean Barbabella said Trump “remains in excellent health.”
How serious is CVI?
According to the Johns Hopkins Medicine website, CVI occurs when “leg veins don’t allow blood to flow back up to your heart.” Johns Hopkins School of Medicine said CVI is “not a serious health threat.”
Stanford Medicine found that CVI can cause fluid to pool in the legs, causing swelling.
Trump, Biden face health speculation as oldest-ever presidents
The White House’s statements that Trump’s health is in good shape comes as Trump has attacked the previous , with Trump claiming Biden covered up his prostate cancer diagnosis.
Biden, who served as president from January 2021 to January 2025, announced he had prostate cancer in May. Biden’s office has denied that 82-year-old Biden covered his cancer diagnosis during his presidency.
Trump and Biden are the oldest ever occupants of the White House, with their health put under a microscope by the US public.
During Trump’s first term in 2020, he was diagnosed with COVID-19, with Trump having to spent time in Walter Reed Military Hospital in Washington DC to recover. Trump’s COVID-19 diagnosis and subsequent hospital stay was the focus of wall-to-wall media coverage.
Edited by: Dmytro Hubenko
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