Trump Displays His Bulging Cankles at 9/11 Ceremony
The president’s swollen ankles were hard to miss as he struggled to stay awake.
SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images
President Donald Trump’s cankles were on full view again on Friday at a September 11 remembrance event where he appeared to struggle to stay awake.
Trump, 80, looked tired sitting beside first lady Melania Trump at the Pentagon, while all other living presidents and their spouses were in New York City. Over the course of the event, which Trump reportedly attended because he was allowed to give a speech, photographers captured visible signs of the president’s chronic venous insufficiency (CVI).
CVI is a common condition in older people that makes it more difficult for blood to return to the heart from the lower extremities. The White House revealed last July that Trump has it. Before Friday, the condition was last evident in June, while he was at the G7 Summit in France.
Trump slouches while attending the Pentagon's September 11 remembrance ceremony on Friday.
SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images
Trump’s ankles seemed to swell to overflow his shoes.
Getty Images
In January, Trump told The Wall Street Journal that he had previously tried wearing compression socks to deal with the condition, but that he “didn’t like them.” Instead, he said he has tried to avoid sitting for long periods. The president golfs for exercise, but often takes a cart.
Trump with aide Margo Martin.
Vincent Carchietta/USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but spokesperson Davis Ingle has previously told the Daily Beast that Trump “is the sharpest, most accessible, and energetic president in modern American history.”
The Daily Beast has chronicled the octogenarian’s various ailments throughout his second term, including his bruised hands—which the White House attributes to handshaking and Trump’s aspirin dosage—his sudden neck rash, slurred speech, bouts of confusion, and appearing to doze off during midday meetings.
Trump is not thought to get the recommended hours of sleep—something that his social media feed reflects, given the frequency of his late-night and early morning posts, as the Daily Beast has noted.
On Friday night, the president left Washington, D.C., for Ireland, where he is scheduled to spend the weekend.
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