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Accessibility statementSkip to main content Democracy Dies in Darkness SubscribeSign in Advertisement Democracy Dies in Darkness PoliticsBiden administration The Fix The Briefs Polling Democracy in America Election 2024 PoliticsBiden administration The Fix The Briefs Polling Democracy in America Election 2024 TRUMP’S AGE AND HEALTH UNDER RENEWED SCRUTINY AFTER BIDEN’S EXIT As president, Donald Trump released a report that experts said showed he had heart disease and was obese. But as a candidate, he has refused to release bloodwork results, his weight or other key information. 6 min 11068 Sorry, a summary is not available for this article at this time. Please try again later. Former president Donald Trump speaks to supporters in Grand Rapids, Mich., on July 20. (Alex Wroblewski for The Washington Post) By Michael Kranish July 22, 2024 at 3:31 p.m. EDT After weeks of intense focus on President Biden’s health and age that ended with his withdrawal from the campaign on Sunday, the script has flipped: Former president Donald Trump is now the oldest presidential nominee in history — and one who has been less transparent about his medical condition than his former opponent. Cut through the 2024 election noise. Get The Campaign Moment newsletter. Trump, a 78-year-old with a history of heart disease and obesity, according to experts, has not shared any updated bloodwork results or other specific information during this campaign to help experts assess his ongoing medical risks. Instead, he has released a vague, three-paragraph letter from his primary care physician, Bruce A. Aronwald, who wrote in November that the former president was in excellent physical and mental health, and who later said in a statement released by campaign officials to The Washington Post that “there is no need for President Trump to release another medical report in addition to the one he recently made public.” Advertisement Story continues below advertisement Skip to end of carousel 2024 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION arrow leftarrow right President Biden plans to address the nation Wednesday from the Oval Office on his decision to exit the presidential race and endorse Vice President Harris as the Democratic nominee. Follow live updates on the 2024 election. Donald Trump is officially the Republican presidential nominee and chose Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio) as his running mate. Harris is the likely Democratic nominee after a majority of delegates have pledged to support her. We broke down seven options for her vice-presidential pick. Here’s what happened in the hours before Biden posted a letter announcing his decision to end his campaign. This is how Democrats can pick a new candidate and the top nine options to replace Biden. Here are some of the key dates ahead of the general election in November. Sign up for The Campaign Moment, reporter Aaron Blake’s guide to what you really need to know about the 2024 election. 1/5 End of carousel Seven days after the attempted assassination against him on July 13, Trump released a letter from his former White House physician, Rep. Ronny Jackson (R-Tex.), who described treating a two-centimeter-wide wound to Trump’s right ear and said he had a CT scan of his head and other tests but did not release the results. Jackson said in the letter that Trump was initially treated by the medical staff at Butler Memorial Hospital in Butler, Pa., and that he saw the former president later that night at Trump’s golf course in Bedminster, N.J. Jackson, who is one of Trump’s most loyal supporters, did not respond to a request for comment. A hospital spokesman could not be immediately reached for comment. Follow Election 2024 Follow Jackson has previously said that Trump aced a cognitive test when he was president, but those results also have not been released. Now, instead of facing an 81-year-old candidate whose mental and physical health were questioned after a disastrous debate in June, Trump’s opponent is most likely to be Vice President Harris, a 59-year-old with no publicly disclosed health issues. Harris has not released a detailed medical report as vice president. The White House and her campaign did not immediately respond to questions from The Post about whether she would do so as a presidential candidate. Advertisement Story continues below advertisement The age of presidential candidates has been a key issue for voters this year. A Washington Post-ABC News-Ipsos poll, conducted before last week’s Republican convention, found that 60 percent of Americans said Trump is too old for another term as president, including 82 percent of Democrats, 65 percent of independents and 29 percent of Republicans. Before Biden dropped out of the race, many Democrats bristled at what they argued was an unfair critical focus on his age compared to Trump. A Trump campaign spokesman did not respond to a request for comment. There is no requirement for presidential candidates to release medical records, and they would have to agree to waive privacy laws to enable a physician to do so. But medical experts said that given Trump’s age and the previous emphasis on health in the race, voters would benefit if everyone in the race were transparent with their doctors’ findings. Advertisement Story continues below advertisement “It would take away the fear that someone has an issue that is not being disclosed because they know it might affect their candidacy,” Ira Monka, president of the American Osteopathic Association, said in an interview before Biden’s withdrawal, referring to both him and Trump. “This is the highest office in the world so we want to have complete openness as much as possible. If the candidates would agree on that, I think the public would be very happy.” Trump has a mixed history of releasing medical information. In 2015, during his first run for the White House, he said he instructed his doctor, Harold Bornstein, to release “a full medical report” and promised “it will show perfection.” Bornstein did not release Trump’s records, but instead issued a four-paragraph letter that said Trump would be “the healthiest individual ever elected to the presidency.” Bornstein, who died in 2021, later told CNN that Trump “dictated that whole letter.” In September 2016, Trump released another letter from Bornstein that included more information and concluded that Trump was “in excellent physical health.” Advertisement Story continues below advertisement One of the most detailed releases about Trump’s health came during his presidency in 2018, when Jackson appeared at the White House press room podium and provided details that included a CT scan showing Trump’s coronary calcium score was 133, up from 34 in 2009. At the time, CNN’s chief medical correspondent, Sanjay Gupta, and other experts said the score indicated that Trump had heart disease. The letter also said Trump weighed 239 pounds, making him borderline obese. The following two years, Trump’s doctors revealed that his weight had increased to 243 and then 244 pounds, making him obese under government standards. But no such details have been released since Trump left the White House. After losing his reelection bid, Trump has relied on Aronwald, a doctor of osteopathic medicine who is a member of Trump’s Bedminster golf course and runs a private “concierge” practice that caters to high-income patients. Aronwald declined to speak to a Post reporter who in April visited his office in Morristown, N.J. He has never spoken publicly about Trump’s condition. Advertisement Story continues below advertisement The letter Aronwald released on Nov. 20 did not include specific results such as blood pressure or weight. Nor did it disclose Trump’s medications. Instead, it was filled with superlatives, saying Trump was in “excellent health” and had “exceptional” cognitive ability. It said without providing any numbers that Trump had “reduced his weight.” It said his cardiovascular studies were normal. Trump has said he twice “aced” cognitive tests, but he has not released them and has not said if he has taken one since 2018. Ziad Nasreddine, the neurologist who created the test, told The Post earlier this year that a six-year-old test would be too outdated to be relevant. He said that a candidate who is Trump’s age should take regular cognitive tests and publicly release the results if the candidate agrees to do so. Some experts previously told The Post that Trump could face an elevated genetic risk of dementia. Trump has said that his father was “addled with Alzheimer’s,” which specialists said could increase Trump’s chances of inheriting the gene that can cause the disease. When Trump turned 50, he told Playboy magazine that watching his father face cognitive problems had a profound effect on him. “Turning 50 does make you think about mortality, or immortality, or whatever,” Trump said. Scott Clement contributed to this report. correction A previous version of this article incorrectly said that former president Donald Trump is now the oldest presidential candidate in history. He is the oldest presidential nominee. The article has been corrected. ELECTION 2024 President Biden plans to address the nation Wednesday from the Oval Office on his decision to exit the presidential race and endorse Vice President Harris as the Democratic nominee. Follow live updates on the 2024 election. Kamala Harris: A majority of Democratic delegates have pledged to support Harris, signaling she is likely to secure the presidential nomination next month. We broke down seven options for her vice-presidential pick. Biden drops out: Here’s what happened in the hours before Biden said in a letter that he is ending his reelection campaign. This is how Democrats can pick a new candidate. Trump VP pick: Donald Trump has chosen Sen. J.D. Vance (Ohio) as his running mate, selecting a rising star in the Republican Party and a previously outspoken Trump critic who in recent years has closely aligned himself with the former president. Presidential election polls: Here’s what voters think about Harris replacing Biden and how Harris performs against Trump in recent polls. Show more Share 11068 Comments Donald Trump HAND CURATED * Tracking the Trump criminal cases and where they stand July 15, 2024 Tracking the Trump criminal cases and where they stand July 15, 2024 * Trump’s age and health under renewed scrutiny after Biden’s exit July 22, 2024 Trump’s age and health under renewed scrutiny after Biden’s exit July 22, 2024 * RNC was a Trump family affair, with Eric, Lara, Don Jr. and more July 18, 2024 RNC was a Trump family affair, with Eric, Lara, Don Jr. and more July 18, 2024 NewsletterWeekdays Early Brief The Washington Post's essential guide to power and influence in D.C. Sign up Subscribe to comment and get the full experience. Choose your plan → Advertisement Advertisement TOP STORIES Politics Reporting and analysis from the Hill and the White House J.D. 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