US President Donald Trump said in an interview with the Wall Street Journal that he is taking a larger daily dose of aspirin than his doctors recommend.
"They say aspirin is good for thinning out the blood, and I don’t want thick blood pouring through my heart," Trump told the paper in an interview published on Thursday. "I want nice, thin blood pouring through my heart. Does that make sense?"
Trump has been encouraged to drop to a lower dose but declined, as he had been taking it for 25 years and said, "I'm a little superstitious."
Trump's health faces increased scrutinyTrump, 79, is the second-oldest person to ever hold the presidency. His Democratic predecessor, former president Joe Biden, was aged 82 when he left office a year ago.
Biden notably dropped his 2024 reelection bid amid questions about his fitness for the job, which Trump contributed to.
Trump's health has been in the spotlight in recent months due to bruises that have been spotted on his hands and an MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) exam that he was reported to have undergone in October, as well as instances where the Republican president closed his eyes during public events.
Aides, donors, and friends have also expressed concerns over his hearing, saying they often need to raise their voice during meetings.
Trump also does not exercise regularly and is known to consume a diet that puts strain on the heart, heavy in salt and fatty foods, the WSJ reported.
Daily use of aspirin can lower the chances of heart attack or stroke for people over the age of 60, according to Mayo Clinic, which says a low dose of aspirin is most commonly 81 milligrams.
The president's doctor, Sean Barbabella, told the WSJ that Trump takes 325 milligrams of aspirin daily for cardiac prevention.
Trump also briefly wore compression socks for chronic venous insufficiency, a common condition among the elderly that makes it difficult for blood to travel back up to the heart, but stopped wearing them because he didn't like them. However, Trump has said that the swelling has improved, and he has been getting up from his desk more often, which has helped.
The bruising on his hands is the result of his shaking so many hands, according to the White House, which said last month the MRI was preventative. The large dose of aspirin exacerbates the bruising.
Trump's skin has also grown extremely delicate to the point that when Attorney-General Pam Bondi gave him a high five, a nick from her ring drew blood. When asked, Trump told the WSJ, "The ring hit the back of my hand, and, yes, there was a slight little cut."
According to his aides, it is only one of several instances in which his hand has been cut, and Trump said he has makeup for when he gets "whacked again by someone."
When asked about the MRI, Trump and Barbabella told the WSJ that the president actually got a CT scan.
Barbabella said Trump's doctors had initially said they would perform either an MRI or a CT scan, but decided to do the latter "to definitively rule out any cardiovascular issues."
It revealed no abnormalities, according to Barbabella, who said that Trump is in "exceptional health and perfectly suited to execute his duties as Commander-in-Chief."