Expect to see more of President Donald Trump holding court behind the Resolute Desk because apparently, staging events in other rooms at the White House means spending too long on his feet.
A source familiar with White House event planning told The New York Times Wednesday Trump has increasingly avoided holding meetings in larger spaces like the East Room, preferring the Oval Office partly because of its superior acoustics, and partly because it means he doesn’t actually have to stand up for prolonged periods of time.
It comes after Trump’s four-day disappearance from public life last week. Coupled with a spate of events at which the MAGA leader was spotted with swollen ankles, bruising on his hands and trouble walking straight (to mention nothing of the usual mental gaffes), the president’s unofficial hiatus from official duties sparked a firestorm of online speculation about the state of his health, and even rumors of his death.
Describing those rumors as “fake news” and insisting he’s “NEVER FELT BETTER IN MY LIFE,” Trump seemed determined to impress his not-deadness upon the world over the weekend, embarking on a frenzied Truth Social blitz Saturday night that saw him crank out an impressive 42 posts in just ten hours.
While reports of the president’s demise would therefore appear to have been greatly exaggerated, he’s old. On track, in fact, to be the oldest serving president in U.S. history by the time his second term ends in 2029.
At 79, it’s little surprise he’s suffering from chronic venous insufficiency, a condition common in men of his age where the veins have trouble returning to the heart, which White House physicians have outlined as the cause of his swollen ankles.
His doctors have meanwhile attributed the bruising on his hands to his use of aspirin to reduce the possibility of heart trouble, an increased risk for the president given his history of high cholesterol. They add the discoloration is worsened by his famously vigorous handshakes.
Officials have not yet commented on the difficulty Trump appeared to have walking in a straight line during his disastrous, widely panned Alaska summit with Vladimir Putin, when he was seen veering about on the tarmac while awaiting the Russian president’s arrival.
White House reporters have lately asked if it would be possible to speak with the president’s physician directly, and ask for further details as to the state of his physical health. Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt previously said she would “look into” it because the Trump administration has “nothing to hide,” though no such press conference has yet been held.
The Daily Beast has reached out to the White House for comment on this story.
