United States President Donald Trump has disclosed that he takes a higher-than-approved daily dose of aspirin, attributing it to persistent bruising on his hands that has renewed public scrutiny over his health.
Trump, 79, made the disclosure in an interview with The Wall Street Journal published on Thursday, saying he prefers a stronger dose despite medical advice. “They say aspirin is good for thinning out the blood, and I don’t want thick blood pouring through my heart,” Trump said. “I want nice, thin blood pouring through my heart. Does that make sense?” He added: “They’d rather have me take the smaller one. I take the larger one, but I’ve done it for years, and what it does do is it causes bruising.”
The interview, one of Trump’s most detailed discussions of his health, comes amid concerns about his age, fitness and the transparency of medical information from the White House.
His physician, Dr. Sean Barbabella, told the newspaper that the president takes 325 milligrams of aspirin daily, higher than the commonly recommended low dose, but insisted Trump “remains in exceptional health.” Medical experts, however, questioned the explanation for the bruising, with Dr. Jonathan Reiner saying, “It’s uncommon to see that kind of bruising with one aspirin a day.”
Trump also clarified that a medical scan conducted in October was a CT scan, not an MRI, while dismissing concerns about leg swelling and reports that he appeared to fall asleep at public events, saying, “I’ll just close. It’s very relaxing to me.”