Donald Trump's Podium Grip, Facial Movements at Alabama Rally Fuel Health Scrutiny Despite 'Excellent' Checkup

Two analysts say Donald Trump's gestures on stage at a rally in Mobile, Alabama, on 2 October raise questions about his health. Body language expert Inbaal Honigman said Trump appeared to use one hand on the podium for stability. Psychologist John Paul Garrison said he saw what he described as an arm spasm. Neither has examined Trump, who turned 80 in June and is the oldest US president ever sworn in. His doctor reported normal neurological findings from a May examination. That check came four months before the rally. Both analysts worked from video of the speech in Mobile.

What the Two Analysts Saw in Mobile

Trump held the rally at the Mitchell Center, a college arena, to win votes before the midterms. Garrison picked out the moment Trump tried to say 'why aren't you'. Garrison heard the words come out garbled and said the spasm in Trump's arm happened at nearly the same moment. He said the moments could have a neurological cause, such as a brain lesion, in a YouTube video that runs below.

Honigman, a celebrity psychic who also reads body language, gave her view through the gambling site Casino.org. In comments published by the Daily Express, she said his tangents showed 'frail, fragile body language.' She said his hand stayed on the podium while he talked about vegans, lettuce, and aspirin, and that his usual two-handed gestures had faded. She also read one attempted smile as a grimace that can signal distaste or discomfort. Neither view rests on a medical exam.

What Trump's May Exam Recorded

Trump had the exam at Walter Reed, the military hospital outside Washington, on 26 May, his third visit there in 13 months. That visit drew on the advice of 22 doctors. Three days later, the White House released a three-page memo from Sean Barbabella, a Navy captain and Trump's doctor. The memo records normal strength, sensation, reflexes, gait, and balance, and Trump's mental status was also normal. His cranial nerves, including those for the face and mouth, were also intact.

Trump also sat the Montreal Cognitive Assessment, a standard test of memory and thinking. He scored 30 out of 30. He often says he has aced these tests. Two short checks for depression and anxiety came back clear. Barbabella wrote that Trump is 'fully fit to carry out all duties of the Commander-in-Chief.' Barbabella's report lists scans of the heart, chest, and neck arteries, but mentions no scan of the brain.

What Raskin Asked the White House to Release

Jamie Raskin, the senior Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, asked Barbabella on 18 June for the full results. Raskin wanted each doctor's field and reason for taking part. Jonathan Reiner, the heart doctor who treated former Vice President Dick Cheney, described the team's size to The Washington Post as 'an extraordinary number'.

The White House told the newspaper the team aligned with 'best practices for executive-level medical care.' Raskin noted that Trump saw 14 doctors at his 2025 visit. A search of the White House site on 8 October found no health memo after 29 May.