It is a privilege to grow old and watch your dark hair turn to white. Or in Donald Trump’s case, watch your dark hair turn to brassy blond and then to white.
And even though Trump has just turned 80, don’t call him old. “I’m not a senior,” he insisted in early May. “I’m far younger than a senior. It’s true. I feel like—I feel the same as I felt 50 years ago. I don’t know. There’ll be a—there’ll be a period of time when I don’t tell you that. There’ll be—because I’m honest. I’ll say, it’s not looking good. I have to be careful…”
Let’s stop him there even though the grandfather of eleven rambled for several more incoherent sentences. But that’s normal for his age group according to the Mayo Clinic. In an essay on what to expect during the aging process, the clinic staff points to changes in the brain which can lead to fumbling for information and a shorter attention span.
In most markers of seniority, Trump is right on target. So here’s a brief examination of how the president stacks up against predictable changes for someone entering his ninth decade.
Telling the same old stories… repeating phrases… using vague vocabulary…struggling to recall names… these are hallmarks of a Trump press conference and how aging typically affects memory.
To stay “mentally active,” the Mayo Clinic recommends that seniors stay connected to their family and community, volunteer at a local nonprofit, and take up new hobbies like knitting or dismantling NATO.
Advanced age is a significant risk factor for chronic venous insufficiency (CVI) so it’s no surprise that Trump’s doctors made that diagnosis last year. The White House acknowledged that the president was experiencing “mild swelling in his lower leg,” which is a nice way of saying, “The boss has cankles.” At the same time, the White House insisted that there was no evidence of deep vein thrombosis, a more serious condition.
Medical professionals have also ruled out high blood pressure. In a medical exam two weeks ago, Trump’s blood pressure logged in at 105/71 mmHg down significantly from a 128/74 mmHg reading in 2025. Trump’s doctors crowed that the president’s heart age was 14 years younger than his actual age. That’s an understatement. According to the Health Research Institute, Trump’s blood pressure correlates with that of “School-aged children.”
The Mayo Clinic highlights the importance of sleep for maintaining a healthy cardiovascular system, which is sore spot for Trump. At a recent hearing, Representative Ted Lieu asked Secretary of State Marco Rubio if he’d ever seen the president fall asleep in a meeting. Rubio responded emphatically that he had not, adding, “On the contrary, the guy doesn’t sleep, which is a big problem because he calls me at 2 in the morning. He calls me at 5 in the morning…”
Rep. Lieu then accused Rubio of lying and shared a clip of the president drifting off during a Cabinet meeting. Since Trump has the blood pressure of a school-aged child, perhaps he also requires naps during the day.