Donald Trump's Golf Outfit Draws Weight Jibes After His Own Doctor Recorded 238lb and Told Him to Slim Down

Donald Trump's appearance drew jokes about his stomach after an X user posted a clip of him at his Virginia golf club on 20 September. In the clip, the president wears a white polo shirt and black trousers. The renewed scrutiny comes months after his own doctor had recorded his weight at 238lb in May and advised him to keep losing weight.

Navy Captain Sean Barbabella, the White House physician, noted in his memo of Friday, 29 May a 14lb gain since April 2025. Ipsos polled Americans in May for The Washington Post and ABC News. In that poll, 55 per cent doubted Trump's physical health was strong enough to serve.

What the Virginia Clip Showed

Vince D Monroy, who posts on X as @vincedmonroy, shared the clip and tagged it as Trump National Golf Club Washington DC. The club, which Trump owns, is in Sterling, Virginia. In the video, Trump walks toward a set of steps with his group. Trump's aide Natalie Harp was with him, Monroy wrote. Monroy also noted that the first lady, Melania Trump, did not appear in the footage, as the post below shows.

One user on Threads, Meta's social app, wrote that Trump looked fat, and other commenters mocked the way he walked in the footage. Viewers compared his appearance with his repeated claims about his fitness. Trump was 78 when he took the oath in January 2025, which made him the oldest person ever to do so.

What Barbabella's May Check-Up Found

Trump had his annual physical on Tuesday, May 26, at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland. Barbabella's memo stated that Trump 'remains in excellent health.' A heart-rhythm test put his cardiac age about 14 years below his real age. Barbabella's advice covered diet, a low-dose aspirin, and more exercise. In a January interview with The Wall Street Journal, Trump said he was taking 325mg of aspirin, about four times the usual low dose.

Body mass index (BMI) compares a person's weight with their height, and doctors use it as a quick check on whether that weight is healthy. The National Health Service (NHS) calls a score of 30 or more obese. Trump's weight and height give him a BMI of 29.7, which puts him in the overweight range. He has been previously classified as obese, when his first-term doctor, Sean Conley, recorded 243lb in February 2019.

What Outside Physicians and the White House Say

Scott Kahan directs the National Center for Weight and Wellness. He told The Washington Post in August that obesity is 'a strong risk factor for numerous health issues.' Kahan is a physician at George Washington University. He added that guarding the president against obesity was as important as his Secret Service protection.

In an August statement to the newspaper, the White House defended Trump. It praised his energy and work ethic. In May, Trump joked in the Oval Office that junk food might outperform other diets. Trump's health records listed three medicines he takes: two for cholesterol control and a low-dose aspirin for his heart.