White House doctor Ronny Jackson went in front of the media to discuss Donald Trump’s health—revealing that the 71-year-old President’s “overall health is excellent.”
Jackson answered questions for nearly an hour, discussing the results from Trump’s physical in fine detail—but the overall takeaway was that the President is in great mental and physical shape.
Jackson praised Trump for having a “continues to enjoy the significant longterm cardiac and overall health benefits that come from a lifetime of abstinence from tobacco and alcohol.” The President, famously, does not drink or smoke, citing his late brother’s death after a long struggle with alcoholism.
At Trump’s request, Jackson also conducted a cognitive test—likely to put rumors about Trump’s mental fitness to rest. Trump scored “30 out of 30” on the test, indicating that he has absolutely no mental decline whatsoever.
Jackson confirmed that there is “no indication whatsoever that the President has cognitive issues.”
However, despite Trump’s clean bill of health, Jackson admitted there was room for improvement—namely, concerning the fast food-loving President’s diet.
“He would benefit from a diet lower in fat and a carbohydrates and a routine exercise regime,” Jackson said.
In that vein, Jackson said he was getting a nutrition specialist to work with White House chefs to “cut calories” and is working with First Lady Melania Trump to put together an exercise program for the President.
While Trump also released a letter from his personal doctor during the 2016 presidential campaign that cited his good health, critics claimed that his personal doctor might not being truthful.
Jackson suffers from no such potential bias: he has served as the White House’s physician under both President Obama and President Trump, and a former Obama aide—Dan Pfeiffer—vouched for the doctor’s reputation, tweeting: “Dr. Jackson is a phenomenal doctor and a really great guy. He and his team took great care of all of us for many years.”
