U.S. President Donald Trump pushed back against a wave of speculation about his health, declaring that he has “never felt better” in a post on Truth Social.
His remarks on Sunday followed days of rumors after a lack of meetings was reported for Labor Day, accompanied by images showing bruising on his hand.
Trump, 79, resurfaced online after spending the weekend golfing at his Virginia resort. “NEVER FELT BETTER IN MY LIFE. Also, DC IS A CRIME FREE ZONE!” Trump wrote.
Highlights
- Donald Trump declared on Truth Social that he has 'never felt better,' pushing back against circulating health rumors.
- Speculation about Trump's health surged after a blank public schedule and visible bruising on his hand were reported.
- Trump was diagnosed with chronic venous insufficiency, a condition in which veins struggle to return blood from the legs to the heart.
Trump pushed back against health speculation, saying he has ‘never felt better’
Image credits: The White House/Flickr
The Trump administration took control of the Washington, D.C., police department on August 11, 2025, citing an out-of-control crime wave.
Speculation about Trump’s condition intensified last week after the White House released a blank public schedule for Labor Day weekend. On social media, the hashtag “TrumpIsDead” trended as users questioned his absence.
Vice President JD Vance’s statement last week, in which he said he was prepared to step in if “a terrible tragedy” ever struck, only reignited these rumors.
“I feel very confident the president of the United States is in good shape, is going to serve out the remainder of his term and do great things for the American people,” Vance told USA Today.
“And if, God forbid, there’s a terrible tragedy, I can’t think of better on-the-job training than what I’ve gotten over the last 200 days.”
Image credits: The White House/Flickr
The president broke his public silence on Saturday when photographers captured him leaving the White House with his granddaughter, Kai Trump, en route to a round of golf in Sterling, Virginia.
Trump’s car was reportedly greeted by a middle finger while the president was on his way to Virginia.
In the past, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt addressed the bruising on Trump’s hand, attributing the marks to Trump’s daily routine.
The White House attributed the bruises on Trump’s hands to handshaking
Image credits: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
“President Trump is a man of the people and he meets more Americans and shakes their hands on a daily basis (more) than any other President in history,” she wrote in a statement in July.
The White House also disclosed that Trump had been diagnosed with chronic venous insufficiency (CVI), a condition in which veins struggle to return blood from the legs to the heart.
Image credits: Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images
Officials described the condition as common and benign, particularly among people over 70. Trump turned 79 in June.
Trump’s physician, Dr. Sean Barbabella, verified this explanation in July, saying it was “consistent with minor soft tissue irritation from frequent handshaking” and use of aspirin.
Trump’s “NEVER FELT BETTER IN MY LIFE” comment came as a response to conservative commentator Rogan O’Handley’s Truth Social post on August 31, in which he wrote, “Joe Biden would go multiple days at a time without any public appearances and the media would say he’s ‘sharp’ and ‘top of his game.’ Meanwhile he was wearing diapers and napping.”
“President Trump puts in more public work hours than any other POTUS in US history and media freaks out if he disappears for 24 hours,” O’Handley added.
In addition to claiming success in Washington’s crime reduction, Trump also claimed that the economy is being boosted under his administration, reporting low inflation, higher wages, and increased consumer spending.
“Prices are ‘WAY DOWN’ in the USA, with virtually no inflation,” he wrote on Sunday.
Soon after, he turned his attention to Democratic consultant Donna Brazile and ABC News, which he dismissed as “Fake News.”
“Donna is dumb as a rock, and a liar besides. She, and Sloppy Chris Christie, should be fired from a highly discredited ABC Fake News,” he wrote.
Brazile spoke about Trump’s withdrawal of former Vice President Kamala Harris’ Secret Service protection detail, calling it “petty…vindictive…retribution” in an ABC News panel discussion Sunday.
She also criticized Trump’s tariff policy and rising prices, and suggested the Trump administration did not believe in the rule of law.
While Trump did not clarify the grounds on which he was criticizing Brazile, he demanded ABC News fire her. “They just paid me $16,000,000 for ‘inaccurate’ reporting, now they should pay me more!!!” he wrote.
Trump’s health has remained under scrutiny, with photos of his swollen ankles and bruised hands repeatedly circulating on social media.
Trump was diagnosed with chronic venous insufficiency
Back in July, doctors weighed in on a raised bump hidden by makeup on Trump’s hand, attributing it to blood draws, insect bites, or minor bumps common in older adults.
At the same time, former U.S. President Joe Biden, 82, has been pictured smiling and energetic in recent public appearances, fueling more comparisons with Trump. Biden announced his cancer diagnosis in May this year.
In June, Trump ordered an investigation into Biden’s actions during his presidency, after accusing his aides of committing a “conspiracy” to “deceive the public about Biden’s mental state.”
He claimed the aides used Biden’s autopen, a device that replicates signatures, to sign executive actions in an attempt to “conceal Biden's cognitive decline.”
But earlier in August, Anita Dunn, Biden’s former senior communications adviser, told the House Oversight Committee that Biden was always in command.
“When’s the media going to wake up about Trump’s failing health and give it even half the coverage they obsessed over with Biden?” Chris D. Jackson, political strategist and Biden supporter, wrote on X.