I have President Trump beat in one regard — not necessarily one to be envious of — in that I’m six months older than Sir Donald. He turns 80 on Sunday; I accomplished the feat on Christmas Eve 2025.
I bring this up because the Wall Street Journal, in today’s edition, has an article about troubling signs regarding the president’s aging. The article implies that he exhibits symptoms that indicate “Bye-bye, Mr. President,” a diagnosis and hopeful outcome that the Demofiends and far-left media keep promoting.
Here’s one symptom that I know is no big deal: bruising. I’ve read that Trump takes aspirin daily as a stroke and heart disease palliative. I have also done so for more than two decades, and I can say that once you thin your blood through aspirin intake, you can bruise very easily. I get bruises just rubbing up against a doorframe, and I mean gently rubbing up. So, I don’t take bruising as a sign of anything except aspirin consumption.
The article also mentions dozing off. Admittedly, this may well be a sign of old age, but I remember dozing off in my 20s and 30s. Now, at 80, I can doze off in the middle of a TV show that I enjoy watching. In fact, I look forward to a doze or two each day, even though I sleep soundly at night. An afternoon nap is often on the schedule.
Now, swollen legs are another indication altogether, and it could be a bad sign, even though his doctor says it’s not. When I had swollen legs, it got so bad that I could barely stand up or walk, and “ER, here I come.” Turns out I had edema, which is a symptom of heart problems. I ended up having my legs drained through the use of Lasix intravenously, followed by the implantation of a pacemaker to regulate the cause, which was AFib. (I also take meds for my atrial fibrillation.)
The WSJ article also mentions falling down, à la Joe Biden. Yes, as you age, it becomes more challenging to walk and easier to stumble. The article makes a case about the 40 steps Trump had to ascend with Xi Jinping to enter the Great Hall of the People. He made it up looking fit as a fiddle.
I work out at the gym six days a week, but I dread ascending the 12 steps to my upstairs bedroom. My fear is probably overblown, but I remember slipping and falling when I was suffering from edema, so I have atavistic visions of bad things happening. I’d say Trump did just fine on those steps. I’d have to stop every 15 steps or so, just to reboot my system.
Welcome to your eighth decade on this planet, Mr. President. You’ve already outlived the life-expectancy of men in America. Join the club.
