Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Independent UK
The Independent UK
Rachel Dobkin

Majority of Americans say White House is not being truthful about Trump’s health

A majority of Americans believe that the White House is not being truthful about President Donald Trump’s health, according to a new poll.

Trump, who turned 80 years old earlier this month, has received increasing scrutiny about his physical and mental fitness during his second term.

The president has been photographed on multiple occasions with bruising on his hand, often poorly covered up by makeup. He’s also been accused of dozing off during public appearances.

Fifty-nine percent of voters think the White House is not being transparent about Trump’s health, while 34 percent think the administration has been open about it, according to a new Quinnipiac University poll.

"Is the president physically and mentally well? On both questions, half of voters have their concerns, and a majority think the White House is keeping them in the dark," Quinnipiac University Polling Analyst Tim Malloy said in a Wednesday news release of the poll’s findings.

Fifty percent of voters in the survey believe Trump is not physically healthy, and another 51 percent think he’s mentally unwell based on what they have seen and heard.

The Independent has reached out to the White House for comment.

Trump has insisted that he’s as fit as a fiddle.

In May, he visited Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Maryland for his second checkup since October.

After what he called his six-month physical exam, he wrote on Truth Social, “Everything checked out PERFECTLY.”

Sean P. Barbabella, the physician to the president, said Trump “remains in excellent health, demonstrating strong cardiac, pulmonary, neurological, and overall physical function” in a memo about his exam released by the White House.

The 80-year-old president has been photographed with bruising on his hand and is known to seemingly doze off during public appearances (Getty Images)
The 80-year-old president has been photographed with bruising on his hand and is known to seemingly doze off during public appearances (Getty Images)

Barbabella said that Trump’s hand bruising was from frequent handshaking and aspirin use. The doctor also noted slight swelling in Trump’s lower leg, but added that it had improved from last year.

Trump also took a neurological exam, which Barbabella said “demonstrated normal mental status.”

“He is fully fit to carry out all duties of the Commander-in-Chief and Head of State,” Barbabella wrote.

Physical fitness and mental acuity in the leader of the free world have become a growing concern since the 2024 presidential election, when then-78-year-old Trump was campaigning against then-81-year-old President Joe Biden.

Biden got the brunt of the criticism, especially after his disastrous June 2024 debate with Trump, where a pale-looking and hoarse-sounding president rambled through his agenda.

Physical fitness and mental acuity in the leader of the free world have become a growing concern since the 2024 presidential election (Getty Images)
Physical fitness and mental acuity in the leader of the free world have become a growing concern since the 2024 presidential election (Getty Images)

When Biden revealed in May 2025 that he had been recently diagnosed with an “aggressive” form of prostate cancer, it reignited scrutiny about how much his White House really knew about his health.

While Trump is not legally allowed to run for president again in 2028, there are concerns about how his health could affect his ability to carry out his duties for the next several years.

Representative Ted Lieu, a California Democrat, confronted Secretary of State Marco Rubio about Trump seemingly falling asleep in public during a congressional hearing earlier this month.

When Rubio said he’s “never seen him fall asleep,” Lieu showed him a video of Trump appearing to doze off during a Cabinet meeting.

“You are literally talking about issues of war and peace, and Donald Trump is sleeping right next to you,” Lieu said.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.