Trump Gained 23 Pounds; Doctors Warn of Risk

Scott Kahan, director of the National Center for Weight and Wellness and a George Washington University physician, told the Post: "We know that obesity is a strong risk factor for numerous health issues — as well as premature disability and death. Addressing obesity to protect the president's health should be a priority similar to ensuring Secret Service protections for his life."

David Kessler, the former head of the Food and Drug Administration, told the Post he was deeply concerned about excess fat around the middle of the body. "That visceral adiposity — is fat around our liver, pancreas, our heart where it doesn't belong," Kessler said, also raising the risk of premature death.

The White House rejected the framing. Spokesman Davis Ingle told the Post: "President Trump's sharpness, unmatched energy, relentless work ethic and historic accessibility stand in stark contrast to what we saw during the last administration when Democrats and the legacy media intentionally covered up Joe Biden's serious mental and physical decline from the American people."

Trump himself has acknowledged wanting to slim down, telling Mehmet Oz, who now runs Medicare and Medicaid: "The one thing I would like to do is be able to drop 15, 20 pounds."