President Trump, under the ever-watchful eye of the media, recently turned the speculation spotlight on his health into yet another chapter in the endless saga of presidential scrutiny. Reporters had their magnifying glasses out, honing in on everything from the bruises on his hands to a peculiar hint of swelling in his legs. It seems like a mystery novel, but instead of Sherlock Holmes, we have a medical clarion call to action as President Trump is on a track to transparency, producing a note from his physician in an effort to quell the noise.
As it turns out, the swelling in the President’s legs isn’t the makings of a scandal or a mysterious ailment but rather a condition common to many folks over the age of 70—chronic venous insufficiency. For those not neck-deep in medical jargon, that just means some of the veins in his legs aren’t playing nice and returning blood back up to the heart properly. Trump, ever the entertainer, managed to keep the drama to a minimum when his legs were thoroughly evaluated by the White House Medical Unit. The diagnosis is about as exciting as waiting for water to boil: no deep vein thrombosis, no arterial disease, just a routine examination.
While the diagnosis was enough to hush the murmurs of conspiracy theorists for the time being, further testing determined Trump’s health to be in tip-top shape. From blood tests to echocardiograms, everything came back as normal as someone who’s just returned from a Mar-a-Lago get-together could be. Even the bruising on his hands, we discover, is just a friendly reminder that frequent handshakes and aspirin therapy can leave quite the mark. It’s a side effect not unknown in those sipping coffee at the local retirement club.
One might say there’s a touch of irony in this situation—a populace eager to diagnose a national icon with something dire, only to find that he’s just dealing with what many of them will face in their golden years. In this case, the media’s eagerness to jump on every bit of presidential news has, like a comedy of errors, made much ado about nothing. The saga of seasonal leg swelling turned out to be a summer rerun the audience never asked for.
As for President Trump, he continues to strut through the political landscape with health certificates in hand. He’s marched on with energy, leaving the medical spotlight burning a bit dimmer than his typical bravado. If nothing else, this chapter in presidential health history serves as a humorous reminder: even the most powerful need their daily dose of aspirin—and a little patience with the veins playing the long game of blood return.
