President Donald Trump, 79, confirmed Thursday that he discontinued wearing doctor-recommended compression socks for chronic venous insufficiency because they "didn't feel right," opting instead for a rigorous 10-second makeup application routine to hide the resulting health complications.
The oldest president in American history made the revelation during an interview where he acknowledged briefly wearing medical compression socks for ankle swelling but stopped because of personal preference. The condition occurs when leg veins fail to efficiently return blood to the heart, causing visible swelling that Trump has attempted to conceal by remaining seated during public appearances and applying foundation to bruised hands.
Trump's innovative alternative treatment plan consists of "getting up from his desk more and walking around," which he clarified does not include treadmill exercise because "that's not for me." The bruising requiring daily makeup coverage stems from taking 325 milligrams of aspirin—four times the standard dose—which Trump refuses to reduce despite doctors' recommendations because he is "a little superstitious."
"They say aspirin is good for thinning out the blood, and I don't want thick blood pouring through my heart," Trump explained, demonstrating the kind of sophisticated medical understanding typically reserved for people who get their health information from commercials. "I want nice, thin blood pouring through my heart. Does that make sense?"
The revelations come years after Republican lawmakers spent the 2024 campaign expressing profound concern about President Biden's age and fitness for office. House Republicans had activated plans to spotlight Biden's mental state through hearings and possible subpoenas, with GOP presidential candidate Nikki Haley suggesting Biden might not survive a second term.
Trump, who became the oldest person in American history to be inaugurated as president, dismissed suggestions his health is declining, insisting he remains in "excellent shape" due to "good genetics"—the same genetics requiring quadruple-dose aspirin, compression socks he refuses to wear, and daily makeup to hide pharmaceutical side effects.
