Top Doctor Demands White House Come Clean on Trump’s Health

Politics admin August 13, 2026 0 Comments

Top Doctor Demands White House Come Clean on Trump’s Health

A top doctor has demanded the White House come clean and reveal the full details about President Donald Trump’s health, claiming it is rapidly declining in plain sight.

Dr. Jonathan Reiner, 66, appeared on Erin Burnett OutFront on Wednesday after a scathing opinion piece in the New York Times that also called out the silence around Trump’s medical issues.

Reiner, who was previously Vice President Dick Cheney’s cardiologist, told host Burnett that he was concerned that Trump, 80, is falling asleep in the Oval Office “over and over again.”

He also cited Trump’s other visible ailments not being properly addressed by the White House, including the “massive” swelling in his legs, and “obvious” bruising on both hands which “will just not go away.”

“The president doesn’t look well, and hasn’t looked well for much of the last year,” Reiner told the CNN host. “He has perhaps the most consequential job on the planet.”

Reiner told CNN that Trump has “multiple very visible ailments” which are well documented due to the fact he is “maybe the most-photographed person ever to hold the office of the president.”

Those afflictions include the “really obvious bruises on both hands that will just not go away,” which the White House has previously attempted to explain by saying they were due to frequent handshaking.

“His left hand isn’t bruising from vigorous handshaking,” Reiner stated flatly.

The Daily Beast has doggedly tracked Trump’s health, including the persistent bruising on his hands since it first appeared in February 2025.

Reiner also pointed out the “really very severe swelling” in Trump’s legs, and said such a condition could be caused by cardiac or kidney issues.

“The president’s swelling has been described as chronic venous insufficiency, which is very common,” Reiner said. “I hope he has that, because that’s really a benign issue that you see in older people. Now he has… mess swelling up of his legs. That’s a much bigger concern. But that has not been addressed by the White House.”

Reiner said he was most disturbed by Trump’s repeated action of falling asleep in the Oval Office, and in public places.

“Why is it acceptable in this country, in this perilous time, for the president of the United States, to have a really dramatic problem staying awake?”

Reiner cited Trump falling asleep in the Oval Office this week while Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was “literally screaming next to him, speaking very loudly next to him.”

Stating that the most common cause of daytime somnolence is sleep apnea, Reiner questioned if Trump’s medical team had identified that as a possible reason for his daytime dozing.

“It’s just obvious that it’s not being adequately treated, because if he is sitting at his desk and he is not speaking for five minutes, his eyes are closed,” Reiner. He’s not getting enough sleep. And he has to sleep.”

Reiner said when untreated, sleep apnea can lead to cardiac issues and can worsen cognitive disorders. “We need the president of the United States to function effectively,” he said.

He added, “It’s distinctly not normal, but it’s become normalized; `Oh, the president is just asleep.’ It’s not normal. And it really needs to be addressed.”

The Daily Beast has contacted the White House for comment.

Daily Beast political reporter Sarah Ewall-Wice shared her boots-on-the-ground analysis of Trump’s health struggles on The Daily Beast Podcast, saying more people than ever are concerned he is not fit to lead the free world.

“As you watch him, you see that there are different aspects to how he carries himself, to how he looks, that have changed over time as he ages. And the White House refuses, in most cases, to address questions about this,” Ewall-Wice said.

She added, “So it has become an ongoing mystery, and they have been completely shutting down—or in some cases, combative about—questions about his health.”

Reached for comment, White House spokesperson Davis Ingle previously told the Daily Beast: “If it quacks like a duck, it may actually just be a Democrat hack doctor. President Trump is the sharpest, most accessible, and energetic president in American history, and any so-called medical professionals engaging in armchair diagnosis or false speculation for political purposes are clearly breaking the Hippocratic Oath they’ve sworn to.”