Amid questions about his health, President Donald Trump asked his aides to change his schedule so he has fewer meetings on it, but he denied it had anything to do with needing to slow down as he gets older.
Press secretary Karoline Leavitt wrote in a statement to Newsweek in response to the report, “President Trump is the hardest working president the American people have ever had. He is literally always working around the clock, seven days a week, to better our country.”
Why It Matters
At 79 years old, Trump was the oldest person to take office as president, and while he maintains he’s in perfect health, questions have emerged about his advancing age. He has been a vocal critic of former President Joe Biden’s health and has often contrasted his own busy schedule with Biden’s, who he has criticized for stopping afternoon media duties, suggesting he wasn’t working full days.
What to Know
A new report from The Wall Street Journal outlined several alleged signs of his age, including delicate skin and difficulty hearing.
Trump told The Wall Street Journal that he asked his staff to put fewer meetings on his schedule. However, he wants them to be “more important” so he can devote more attention to them. He said it wasn’t because of his age, but was a way of him using his time more wisely.
More Related Stories
Those who work for Trump said they have not yet reduced his schedule, according to the Journal. They have, however, encouraged him to “slow his pace,” the newspaper reported.
He told the publication that his day often begins “early” in the White House residence, and that he heads to the Oval Office at 10 a.m., where he works until around 7 or 8 p.m. The White House showed the publication a calendar that listed hundreds of meetings and phone calls during the first 19 days of December.
Both Biden and Trump faced questions about their age while campaigning for president last year; the former ended up dropping out of the presidential race following a debate performance that fueled age concerns and left many Democrats feeling he was not up to the job.
A YouGov poll from September found that nearly half of Americans, 49 percent, believed Trump was of too advanced an age to serve as president. It surveyed 1,177 adults from September 2 to 4 and had a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percent.
What People Are Saying
President Donald Trump told The Wall Street Journal: “Let’s talk about health again for the 25th time. My health is perfect.”
What Happens Next
Trump may continue facing questions about his age over the coming years. He told the WSJ he remains energetic and that he has “very good genetics.”
Update 1/1/26 11:20 a.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional information.