Donald Trump keeps his doctor on an extraordinarily short leash, a new report reveals.
The 80-year-old’s primary physician, Dr. Sean Barbabella, or a colleague must always be within three minutes of him, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Navy captain Barbabella, 56, worked in the field in Afghanistan before becoming Trump’s personal doctor, and is now responsible for penning the president’s glowing—yet vague—annual health reports.
Staffers commonly leave the room when Barbabella and Trump speak, one person familiar with the doctor’s White House work told the Journal. The person described his bedside manner as “low key and direct.”
The arrangement is not unusual for presidential medical care. Dr. Jeffrey Kuhlman, who served in White House medical roles under Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama, has described a doctor and critical care nurse staying within two minutes of the president at all times.
Barbabella’s public assessments of Trump’s health are considerably more effusive.
In Barbabella’s May 2026 report for Trump, the military physician boasted that “Al-enhanced electrocardiogram(ECG) analysis estimated his cardiac age, an established measure of cardiovascularvitality, to be approximately 14 years younger than his chronological age.”
While he recommended a lowered aspirin intake, more physical activity, and provided advice on diet and weight loss, Barbabella concluded: “President Trump remains in excellent health, demonstrating strong cardiac, pulmonary, neurological, and overall physical function.
“His demanding daily schedule, including multiple high-level meetings, public engagements, and regular physical activity, continues to support his overall well-being. Cognitive and physical performance are excellent. He is fully fit to carry out all duties of the Commander-in-Chief and Head of State.”
Trump has a long history of receiving extravagant praise from his doctors.
Harold Bornstein, who served as Trump’s personal doctor from 1980 until 2018, wrote of the billionaire in 2015: “His physical strength and stamina are extraordinary. If elected, Mr. Trump, I can state unequivocally, will be the healthiest individual ever elected to the presidency.”
In 2018, however, he told CNN: “He dictated that whole letter. I didn’t write that letter, I just made it up as I went along.”
While the claims of Bornstein, who died in 2021, might shed doubt on the veracity of medical information released by the Trump administration, it’s also unclear how much professional advice the president is willing to take.
Last week, Trump rambled to an Ohio rally crowd about his decision to ignore doctors’ guidance.
Describing his “monster” dosage of aspirin, which Barbabella called out in his report, Trump mused: “I take an aspirin a day. I don’t know if it works, but psychologically I need it.”
He added: “They said, ‘Sir, you don’t need that!’ I said, ‘Do me a favor, I’ve been doing okay for 35 years. Leave me alone.’”
