President Joe Biden—subject of relentless Republican ridicule over his age and fitness—has been quietly confirmed by health records to be in comparatively better physical condition than former President Donald Trump, fresh off his administration’s glowing fitness reports.
Biden, who withdrew from the 2024 race but remains commander-in-chief, has endured unyielding scrutiny from opponents about his cognitive and physical health. In February 2024, a staggering 86 percent of voters expressed concern about his age and health—up from 76 percent in 2020. His debate performance in June 2024 prompted heated calls for him to step aside.
Meanwhile, Trump’s health was certified “fully fit” for command via a 2025 physical exam, complete with congratulatory weight loss and bullet-wound ear scar mention. Yet, even that notable declaration failed to outshine modern data suggesting Biden’s day-to-day resilience may be more robust.
Trump’s appearances this year offered unexpected highlights: a mysterious hand bruise, swollen ankles traced to a chronic venous insufficiency diagnosis, and bizarre public statements—clearly signals that perhaps ultimate fitness doesn’t equate to consistent vitality.
A New York Magazine health summary recently chronicled Trump’s vascular troubles—revealed after attempts to conceal them—for a condition “benign and common” but visually difficult to ignore. Experts observing said hand bruising likely owed more to aspirin use than anything else—but still, the spectacle prevailed.
At the same time, Biden, despite a Stage 4 prostate cancer diagnosis three months ago, continues to be described by his care team as responding positively to treatment—even amid justified concerns about both privacy and media narratives.
Political analysts now face an existential crisis: decades of conservative mockery, often accompanied by demand for proof of Biden’s fitness, have collided with a simpler truth: Biden’s health, while imperfect, may just be less theatrically fragile than Trump’s.
From a left-leaning vantage, one might argue fact-based reporting—and perhaps the unfunny reality of visible bruises and confusion—has finally triumphed over cheap caricature. Congressman Ronny Jackson may have repeatedly hailed Trump as the “healthiest president,” but the public now sees the spectacle beneath the suit.
Meanwhile, less scrutinized but quantitatively telling: Biden’s withdrawal, intended to shield the narrative, ironically freed this realization to surface unfiltered. The narrative of “Sleepy Joe” may quietly be on life support—politically and physically—while Trump’s brand of fitness, it turns out, was always more theatrical than tangible.
