Doctor Says President Donald Trump's Shuffling Gait and Jumbled Speech Implicate a Hidden Stroke

An unproven Trump stroke theory resurfaced in US political coverage on 19 October 2026, following a report by journalist Timothy Noah.

Physician Bruce Davidson had linked President Donald Trump's walking, speech and aspirin use to a possible previous stroke. The White House rejects the claim and has reported normal neurological findings.

Writing in The New Republic, Noah revisited comments Davidson made in January. The Washington State University physician outlined his suspicions on The Daily Beast Podcast on 26 January, relying on public footage and Trump's account of his medication. Davidson has not examined the president.

Why Donald Trump's Gait and Speech Drew Scrutiny

Davidson pointed to footage showing Trump shuffling while walking and cradling his right hand in his left. He also cited video of the right-handed president gripping an Air Force One stair railing with his left hand.

In Davidson's view, the movements could indicate weakness on Trump's right side, potentially linked to injury to the brain's left hemisphere. Neither the videos nor his interpretation establishes weakness, much less its cause.

The physician also believed Trump garbled words more often in earlier appearances, and that his speech appeared to improve. 'That implicates Broca's speech area, which is in the frontal left portion of the brain,' he said on the podcast.

Broca's area helps regulate language production. Yet identifying a change in someone's speech on video is not the same as diagnosing damage to that brain region.

What Donald Trump's Aspirin Use Actually Reveals

More consequential to Davidson was Trump's account of taking 325 milligrams of aspirin each day. Trump told The Wall Street Journal in January that he used the medication to thin his blood.

'When I read that, I said, well, he's had a stroke,' Davidson told the podcast. The inference is contentious.

American Heart Association guidance supports antiplatelet therapy, including aspirin, for certain patients who have suffered an ischaemic stroke or transient ischaemic attack. But the medicine has other uses, and its dosage cannot establish someone's medical history.

The White House has offered a different explanation. In a 29 May medical memorandum, presidential physician Dr Sean P. Barbabella listed aspirin for 'cardiac prevention,' without identifying any earlier stroke.

The report recommended low-dose aspirin, although it did not specify Trump's dosage at that examination. That discrepancy raises questions about Trump's reported regimen, not proof of a concealed illness. Only his treating clinicians and medical records could explain why he was prescribed or took a particular dose.

White House Challenges Donald Trump Stroke Theory

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt dismissed Davidson's allegations as 'false and slanderous' when they surfaced in January. The remarks came in response to a Daily Beast interview with Davidson about his theory.

The administration's 29 May memorandum described an examination conducted at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on 26 May. Barbabella reported normal motor strength, sensation, reflexes, gait and balance. Trump's Montreal Cognitive Assessment score was recorded as 30 out of 30.

Barbabella concluded Trump was fit to perform his duties as president. Those findings challenge claims of an ongoing neurological impairment based on video footage. They do not, by themselves, resolve every question about a patient's medical history.

The memorandum also noted bruising on Trump's hands, attributing it to handshaking alongside aspirin use. It reported improving lower-leg swelling. The White House separately disclosed a diagnosis of chronic venous insufficiency in July 2025. None of those findings establishes a previous stroke.

Davidson has argued that even a confirmed stroke would not automatically disqualify a president from office. Instead, he wants fuller disclosure of Trump's medical history, including information that could clarify his observations.

The publicly available findings do not confirm Davidson's allegation. The White House disputes his interpretation of Trump's appearances, and its reported neurological examination found no abnormalities.