DAVID GREENE, HOST:
President Trump's going to the doctor today. Well, actually, he'll be seeing a lot of doctors at Walter Reed Medical Center. This is the annual physical for Trump, who is the oldest person ever elected president. Here's NPR's Scott Horsley.
SCOTT HORSLEY, BYLINE: After last year's physical, the president's doctor said Trump was in excellent health. He doesn't drink or smoke. And Navy Adm. Ronny Jackson told reporters Trump has no family history of heart disease.
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RONNY JACKSON: Some people have, you know, just great genes. I told the president that if he had a healthier diet over the last 20 years, he might live to be 200 years old. I don't know.
HORSLEY: Jackson did suggest last year the president should lose some weight. At 239 pounds, Trump narrowly missed being labeled obese. And some observers who subscribe to the so-called girther conspiracy theory thought the Navy doctor was being generous.
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JACKSON: We talked about diet and exercise a lot. He's more enthusiastic about the diet part than the exercise part, but we're going to do both.
HORSLEY: For a while, there were reports that Trump was eating more salad and less red meat. But after the midterm elections, in which Republicans lost a lot of weight in the House, some observers thought Trump was putting the pounds back on. When the president served Big Macs and Quarter Pounders to the Clemson football team last month, it rekindled stories of Trump's own prodigious fast food orders. But the president's longtime friend Christopher Ruddy insists some of those tales are overblown.
CHRISTOPHER RUDDY: Like a lot of Americans, he enjoys a good cheeseburger and some fried chicken, but I think he's been pretty careful about it.
HORSLEY: Ruddy, who's CEO of the conservative Newsmax Media, says Trump often eats his burgers without the bun, and he keeps an eye on portion sizes. Even with the stress the White House, Ruddy says, Trump has more energy than most 72-year-olds.
RUDDY: I recently took a photograph with him. And I'm a little overweight, so I jokingly said to him, you like having me around because I make you look skinny.
HORSLEY: We'll get an updated snapshot of the president's weight and other vital signs from his physical today. This time, Dr. Jackson won't be overseeing the checkup. Last year, Trump tried unsuccessfully to elevate Jackson to VA secretary. The doctor's now settled for a new job as the president's chief medical adviser. Scott Horsley, NPR News, Washington. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
