A claim that President Donald Trump experienced a stroke in 2025, based on observed symptoms and changes in behavior, has been put forward by a medical professor. The White House vehemently denies these allegations, labeling them as groundless and politically fueled.
Professor Bruce Davidson, from Washington State University’s Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine, made this speculation during The Court of History podcast, hosted by Sidney Blumenthal and Sean Wilentz. Davidson surmised that the stroke might have happened in the left hemisphere of Trump’s brain roughly six months earlier.
“I think his stroke was on the left side of the brain, which controls the right side of the body,” Davidson shared with the podcast hosts, explaining that several noticeable alterations in Trump’s physical demeanor support his hypothesis.
As evidence, Davidson pointed to footage of Trump’s unusual foot shuffling, contrasting with previous videos of him confidently walking on golf courses. He also observed instances of Trump holding his right hand with his left and slurring words earlier in 2025, although he conceded that Trump’s speech seems to have improved more recently.
The professor also referred to what he characterizes as excessive daytime sleepiness, a medical condition known as hypersomnolence, common among stroke patients. There have been instances where the president has appeared to fall asleep during public appearances, including White House events. Davidson also highlighted footage of Trump descending the steps of Air Force One, gripping the banister with his left hand, despite being right-handed, as a potential indicator of a stroke in the left brain hemisphere.
Although Davidson did not clarify the specific type of stroke he suspects Trump might have had, he affirmed that if his analysis is accurate, Trump appears to have recovered significantly.
These speculations follow months of public conjecture about Trump’s health. The president has frequently been seen with noticeable bruises on his hands, which he has tried to hide with makeup. Confirming in July 2025, the White House stated that Trump has been diagnosed with chronic venous insufficiency, which causes swelling in the lower legs. To manage this swelling, Trump uses compression socks and has admitted to taking more aspirin than recommended by his physicians.
In a conversation with The Wall Street Journal in January 2026, Trump openly discussed several health issues, including his aspirin use for cardiac prevention. He also clarified reports about the advanced imaging conducted as a follow-up to his annual physical exam. Trump specified that he underwent a CT scan, not an MRI as initially reported, to exclude cardiovascular issues. According to Dr. Sean Barbabella, the scan did not show any abnormalities.
Trump admitted that he regretted the advanced imaging as it led to further speculation about his health. The medical evaluation was conducted in October 2025 at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, with a note dated October 10 confirming the follow-up but offering limited details about the procedures performed.
Another event that drew public attention occurred on September 11, 2025, when Trump appeared at an event with one side of his face seeming droopy. Social media users at the time speculated that this could be a stroke symptom, although no diagnosis was confirmed. Facial drooping is a known stroke symptom, occurring when blood flow to part of the brain is interrupted, affecting muscle control on one side of the face.
Davidson also suggested that Trump’s behavior in his second term could align with post-stroke changes. He characterized strokes as severe, life-threatening events that can prompt varied responses in patients, from humility and gratitude to euphoria or increased risk-taking.
“Some people respond with humility and gratitude. Others become euphoric—’I was at the cliff of death, and now I’m back,'” Davidson said. “And some think, ‘That was my chance to die, and I didn’t—so now I’m going to do everything I wanted to do because the next one may be fatal.'”
The White House strongly denied Davidson’s speculations. Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt stated that Trump remains in excellent health and dismissed the speculations as politically driven attacks. She referred to these speculations as “absolute nonsense” and labeled Davidson as a left-leaning extremist.
In a statement, Leavitt highlighted Trump’s work ethic and accessibility to the public, contrasting it with the health concerns that surrounded former President Joe Biden during his term. She accused the media of promoting false narratives at a time when trust in journalism has plummeted to historic lows.
The health of aging political leaders has frequently been questioned in American politics. Biden was 82 years and seven months old when he left office, and he faced continuous questions about his physical and mental fitness. If Trump completes his current term, he will be the same age, making him the oldest president in U.S. history.
The bruises on Trump’s hands first gained wide attention in February 2025 when discoloration on his right hand was visible through makeup during an Oval Office meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron. At the time, Leavitt attributed the bruising to Trump’s frequent handshaking and daily aspirin use, describing him as a man of the people who meets more Americans than any other president in history.
Months later, as questions persisted, Barbabella explained during a July press briefing that the bruising was consistent with minor soft tissue irritation from frequent handshaking combined with aspirin use, which was part of a standard cardiovascular prevention regimen.
Despite the White House’s denials and medical explanations, the public scrutiny of Trump’s health continues. The absence of detailed medical records and the president’s conflicting statements about his imaging procedures have only fueled speculation. The discrepancy between initial reports of an MRI and Trump’s subsequent correction that it was a CT scan raised further questions about transparency.
Davidson’s speculations, while purely conjectural without direct access to the president’s medical records, contribute to the growing health-related concerns surrounding Trump throughout his second term. The visible physical symptoms — from hand bruising to swollen ankles to apparent fatigue during public events — have been documented by various news outlets over several months.
Chronic venous insufficiency occurs when veins in the legs fail to efficiently return blood to the heart. This can cause swelling, discomfort, and visible changes in the lower extremities. While generally not life-threatening, the condition is more common in older adults and can indicate broader cardiovascular issues if left unmanaged.
Trump’s admission that he takes more aspirin than recommended also introduces medical concerns. While low-dose aspirin is commonly prescribed for cardiovascular prevention, excessive intake can increase the risk of bleeding and bruising — potentially explaining the visible marks on the president’s hands that have attracted attention.
The most recent health episode came on March 2, 2026, when photographers captured a prominent red rash stretching from behind Trump’s right ear down the side of his neck during a Medal of Honor ceremony at the White House. A visual analysis of news photographs indicated the earliest signs of irritation had surfaced around February 13, becoming clearly visible by February 18 during a Black History Month event, and growing more pronounced through the State of the Union address on February 24 and a Texas rally on February 27. Dr. Barbabella attributed the rash to a prescribed skin cream used as a “preventative skin treatment,” adding the redness was expected to last several weeks — but some in the medical field voiced skepticism over the White House’s handling of the disclosure, noting Barbabella declined to specify what condition the treatment was for.
Some observers speculated it could be a reaction to anti-skin cancer medication such as Fluorouracil, commonly known as 5-FU.
As Trump approaches his 80th birthday in June, each new visible symptom continues to fuel a debate the White House has so far been unwilling to settle with full transparency.
