US President Donald Trump has said he avoids exercise because he finds it “boring,” aside from playing golf, while addressing questions about his health and medical decisions in a new interview with The Wall Street Journal.
“I just don’t like it. It’s boring,” Trump told the Journal, dismissing activities such as treadmill walking or running. “To walk on a treadmill or run on a treadmill for hours and hours like some people do, that’s not for me.”
Golf over gym workouts
Trump, who turns 80 in June, said golf remains his primary form of physical activity. The President regularly plays at courses he owns in Florida, New Jersey and Virginia, often on weekends and holidays.
“My ‘exercise’ is playing, almost never during the week, a quick round of golf,” Trump tweeted in 2020, a remark he reiterated in the interview, according to the Journal.
Health concerns and genetics
Trump sought to play down concerns about his age and fitness, telling the news outlet that he benefits from “very good genetics” that protect him from common age-related health issues.
However, he acknowledged that he has, at times, gone against medical advice.
Compression socks and blood-flow issue
Trump told the Journal that he stopped wearing compression socks prescribed to treat chronic venous insufficiency – a blood-flow condition that caused swelling in his legs and ankles last year.
“I didn’t like them,” he said, despite medical experts warning that compression socks can help prevent serious complications such as blood clots.
Instead, Trump said he has opted to walk more and limit long periods sitting behind the Resolute Desk so his leg muscles can help pump blood back to his heart.
Scan clarification: CT, not MRI
In a clarification likely to draw attention, Trump and his physician, Dr. Sean Barbabella, told WSJ that the President underwent a less-intensive CT scan during an October physical – not an MRI – to assess his cardiovascular health.
Trump and his aides had previously referred to the scan as an MRI, fueling months of speculation.
Aspirin regimen and superstition
Dr. Barbabella told the Journal that Trump takes a 325-milligram daily aspirin regimen for heart health, a higher dose than the commonly recommended 81 milligrams.
Trump said the choice was partly driven by personal belief.
“I’m a little superstitious,” he told the news outlet.
“They say aspirin is good for thinning out the blood, and I don’t want thick blood pouring through my heart. I want nice, thin blood pouring through my heart. Does that make sense?” Trump said, according to the Journal.