US President Donald Trump [Getty Images]
US President Donald Trump [Getty Images]

Despite maintaining a busy schedule, US President Donald Trump continues to face public concern about his health, including questions about possible cognitive decline.

The New York Times analyzed Trump's current activity level and domestic public opinion on the occasion of his 80th birthday, publishing its report Sunday local time.

The White House released Trump's official schedule from May 27 through June 10, covering a period when he had largely stayed out of public view. According to the schedule, Trump began May 27 with his first phone call at 7:15 a.m., completed eight calls in total and then attended a Cabinet meeting preparation briefing.

That afternoon he attended seven meetings and took three phone calls, two of which were related to Iran negotiations.

The following day, May 28, Trump completed 11 phone calls and eight meetings before heading to the Oval Office at 11:35 p.m. Even on days with no official public events, records show he did not leave the office until after 7 p.m.

During that period, Trump posted 387 times on Truth Social — an average of 27 posts per day.

The White House has emphasized that Trump is in good health. His physician, Sean Barbabella, said in a recent summary of a medical examination that Trump's "cardiac, pulmonary, neurological and overall physical functions are excellent."

Even so, speculation about his health has persisted, fueled by images of him appearing to doze at public events, repeated bruising and bandages on his hands, and rambling remarks.

During an Oval Office event on June 4, Trump leaned to the side of his chair and closed his eyes for several seconds. The White House said in response that "President Trump often listens with his eyes closed" and that he had leaned in "to hear someone better."

On the recurring bruises on Trump's hands, the White House has generally attributed them to frequent handshaking.

Julian E. Zelizer, a presidential historian, said of Trump's manner of speaking that "it is difficult to determine how much of the erratic behavior and rambling speech is due to age-related decline."

Trump: 'Sometimes people catch me blinking'

Trump had earlier pushed back directly against health concerns in January.

The Wall Street Journal published an exclusive interview with Trump under the headline "Trump Goes on Offense as Signs of Aging Become Visible."

In the interview, Trump said, "I'm just closing them for a second. Sometimes people take a picture of me blinking," adding, "I'm not a big sleeper."

On questions about his hearing — raised after he was seen asking reporters to repeat questions at events — Trump said it was simply hard to hear when multiple people spoke at once. He attributed the dark bruising on the back of his hands to taking aspirin, and said he sometimes applies makeup to his hands after a hard bump, adding, "I have cosmetics that are easy to put on, and it takes about 10 seconds."

Regarding cardiovascular and abdominal imaging he underwent as part of a medical checkup last October, Trump said, "In retrospect, I gave them a little ammunition, so I regret having done the tests."

Trump had been reported to have undergone cardiovascular and abdominal MRI scans at the time, but he told the Wall Street Journal the imaging was in fact CT scans. The White House had said the results were normal.


yul@heraldcorp.com