Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Donald Trump in 'excellent physical health' (if a bit overweight) says doctor in newly released letter

Trump says he sees a man half his age when he looks in the mirror. 'It's crazy'

David Usborne
New York
Thursday 15 September 2016 15:59 BST
Comments
Trump on set with Dr Oz discussing his doctor's letter
Trump on set with Dr Oz discussing his doctor's letter (AP)

The Trump campaign has released a doctor’s letter offering an array of findings from the candidate’s last physical exam to bolster the claim that he is more than fit to serve as president.

Calling him a person who is in “excellent physical health”, Dr Harold Bornstein otherwise says that Donald Trump is taking a statin to fight high cholesterol as well as a daily aspirin. He acknowledges also that the business mogul is in the overweight range for his height and age.

The campaign was at pains to contrast the overall clean bill of health given to Republican nominee with the recent travails of Hillary Clinton who was to return to the campaign trail at an event in North Carolina on Thursday after being sidelined for a few days by pneumonia.

“We are pleased to disclose all of the test results which show that Mr. Trump is in excellent health, and has the stamina to endure — uninterrupted — the rigors of a punishing and unprecedented presidential campaign and, more importantly, the singularly demanding job of President of the United States,” the campaign said in a statement.

Later on Thursday, Mr Trump was to be the guest of Dr Mehmet Oz on his syndicated medical chat show. A summary of Dr Bornstein’s report was discussed on the set of the show. The appearance was also part of a strategy to put to rest any suggestion that Mr Trump, who is 70, may not be as fit as he would have voters believe.

The discussion between Mr Trump and Dr Oz, who has a large television following particularly amongst women, was taped in Manhattan on Wednesday.

Democrats are certain to note that the letter from Dr Bornstein does not constitute actual medical records nor does it offer anything about the candidate’s overall medical history going back over years.

Ms Clinton released a similar letter from her doctor at the start of her campaign last year, but this week released more detailed medical records which, her aides have said, show that she has no substantial problems aside from the bout with pneumonia.

What happens if Hillary Clinton drops out of the US election race?

“He takes a lipid lowering agent (rosuvastatin) and a low dose aspirin. He does not use tobacco products or alcohol,” Dr Bornstein writes in the letter. Saying that he has been the nominee’s doctor since 1981, he noted that he “was hospitalised only once, as a child of 11 years old for an appendectomy”.

Mr Trump is six foot and three inches and weighs 236 pounds, the doctor attests. The “laboratory results” from his exam last week, including a blood test, showed he has a cholesterol level of 169, with his level of high-density lipoproteins at 63, his low-density lipoproteins at 94.

The blood pressure of the tycoon, who built is fame firing contestants on his reality show, The Apprentice, is 116 over 70, the doctor went on. His blood sugar level is 99 milligrams per deciliter while his level of triglycerides, which are a type of fat in blood, is 61 milligrams per deciliter. And his prostate-specific antigen level is measured as 0.15.

“His liver function and thyroid function tests are all within the normal range,” Dr Bornstein offered, adding that “his last colonoscopy was performed on July 10, 2013 which was normal and revealed no polyps.”

Boasting about his numbers of the Oz show, Mr Trump says he doesn’t see a man who is seventy when he looks in the mirror. “I would say I see a person that's 35 years old,” he suggested. Adding that he plays golf sometimes with Tom Brady, a quarterback with the New England Patriots team - who is 39 - Mr Trump went on: ”I feel I'm the same age as him. It's crazy.“

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in