Topline
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said that President Donald Trump was diagnosed with a chronic venous insufficiency, a condition common in people over age 70, which caused swelling in his ankles—but remains in “excellent health,” despite speculation on social media.
The White House said President Donald Trump was still in “excellent health.”
Trump was evaluated by the White House medical unit after noticing swelling in his ankles, Leavitt said, following days of speculation over photos of his ankles at the FIFA Club World Cup final and his hands at a press event Tuesday.
Blood testing showed no signs of “deep vein thrombosis or arterial disease,” and the results were “within normal limits,” Leavitt said.
Additional testing showed no signs of heart failure or other systemic illnesses.
Leavitt said Trump has “no discomfort” from the swelling, and said he was still working “around the clock.”
Leavitt also addressed photos of Trump with what appeared to be bruises on the back of his hand, insisting they were the result of “soft tissue irritation from frequent handshaking,” as well as a side-effect of the president’s use of aspirin to prevent cardiovascular disease.
The White House previously dismissed speculation about the bruising on his hands in February, again telling NBC News it was caused by “working and shaking hands all day every day."
This is a breaking story and will be updated.