President Donald Trump is significantly less busy during his second term.
A New York Times investigation has found that the president has scaled back his official appearances by 39 percent, from 1688 appearances during the first ten months of his first term down to 1029 this year.
The president also starts his days later than he did during his first term, with an analysis of his presidential schedules finding that his official events now typically start after midday, compared to the 10.30 a.m. starts during his first term.
The exposé comes after months of reporting from the Daily Beast on the president’s diminished state. It also comes as Trump, who at 79 is the oldest person ever elected to the presidency, faces increased scrutiny over his fitness for office, particularly in the wake of multiple incidents where he has been caught seemingly dozing off during public appearances.
One such incident took place in the Oval Office earlier this month, when the president was seen repeatedly closing his eyes during a press conference regarding the cost of weight-loss drugs. He only stood up after a man collapsed behind him, at which point reporters were ushered out of the room.
The president, who dubbed his predecessor “Sleepy Joe Biden” and repeatedly makes references to Biden’s declining health, has also been spotted struggling to stay awake at several other public events throughout his second term, including during a special ceremony held in his honor by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia.
Vice President JD Vance has previously claimed that the president does not sleep when traveling, telling Fox News’ Sean Hannity that Trump staffers have said of the president, “If we go on a 20-hour trip somewhere, he does not sleep the entire time”.
“And of course if he’s not sleeping, if he’s working, he expects everybody else to be working too,” Vance added. The Times report also found that the president is traveling internationally more frequently in his second term, having taken eight trips so far compared to four during his first year in office.
A White House official told the Daily Beast that Trump’s day starts “far earlier” than what is listed on his daily schedule and ends “long after his public meetings,” citing his frequent late-night Truth Social posts as evidence.
Further contributing to growing concerns around his health is his diagnosis of chronic venous insufficiency and ever-present bruising visible on his hands that he typically attempts to cover with makeup.
The report from the Times also highlights the lack of transparency around the president’s health, with his physicians refusing to take questions from the media and his Press Secretary, Karoline Leavitt, failing to answer questions about why Trump needed an MRI during his latest physical.
The president himself appeared unsure as to why an MRI was needed, telling reporters aboard Air Force One that the scan was “very standard” and that the doctor had said it was “the best result he has ever seen”.
One cardiologist who spoke to CNN argued that MRIs are typically prompted by symptoms, and that the president owed the public transparency around what those may have been.
The president’s tendency to ramble and change topics mid-sentence has also become cause for concern, with one psychologist telling The Daily Beast Podcast that Trump is exhibiting a “massive increase” in “clinical signs of dementia.”
“We’re seeing a stone skipping along the water. He’s going from one association to another, but it doesn’t make any linear sense,” Dr. John Gartner argued, adding that this was evidence of the president’s “immense cognitive decline.”
In a statement to the Daily Beast, Karoline Leavitt said, “Unlike the Biden White House, who covered up Joe Biden’s cognitive decline and hid him from the press, President Trump and his entire team have been open and transparent about the president’s health, which remains exceptional.”
”President Trump’s physician has released two detailed reports following both of his physical examinations as part of his ongoing health maintenance plan; and anyone who watches President Trump in his daily public events can clearly see he is in impressive physical and mental shape, with an unrelenting work ethic.”
