According to a new review by the New York Times, President Donald Trump is now keeping a noticeably thinner schedule than he did during his first term.
The drop is not minor. During the first 10 months of his earlier term, he logged 1688 public appearances. This year, he has reached only 1029.
For a president who once enjoyed showing how busy he was, the change stands out. It is not just the number of events. It is also the timing. In his first term, the president usually stepped into public view around 10:30 in the morning. Now, his official day often begins sometime after lunch. It is a slower rhythm than the one he liked to advertise in years past.
Trump, now 79, is the oldest person ever elected to the office, and his age has become a steady part of the national discussion, even when the White House tries to wave it aside.
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One recent moment that drew attention happened in the Oval Office. During a press event about the cost of weight-loss drugs, the president repeatedly closed his eyes while seated behind the Resolute Desk. He opened them only after a man behind him collapsed, and reporters were ushered out shortly after.
Another example took place in Saudi Arabia during a ceremony hosted by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Trump looked like he was struggling to stay awake, and people online couldn’t stop joking about it.
Vice President JD Vance has pushed back on the idea that Trump is slowing down. On Fox News, Vance told Sean Hannity that Trump hardly sleeps at all when traveling. “If we go on a 20-hour trip somewhere, he does not sleep the entire time,” Vance said. He added that if Trump is working through the night, “he expects everybody else to be working too.”
The Times also reported that Trump has traveled internationally twice as often in this early stretch of his second term as in the same period of his first, with eight trips this year. A White House official insisted that Trump’s real workday begins before the public ever sees him and runs long past his last listed event. The official pointed to Trump’s habit of posting on Truth Social late into the night.
Still, the concerns continue. Trump has chronic venous insufficiency, which leaves visible bruises on his hands. He often covers them with makeup, though the makeup itself has become a recurring point of curiosity.
There has also been a noticeable lack of information from the president’s doctors. The White House declined to explain why Trump needed an MRI during his latest physical. When asked, Trump simply said the scan was “very standard” and that the doctor told him it was “the best result he has ever seen.”
Featured image via Political Tribune Gallery
