Trump admits exceeding recommended aspirin dose for heart health

In a characteristically candid account of his personal health regimen, US President Donald Trump has revealed that he continues to take a daily dose of aspirin well above what his doctors recommend — a habit he says he has followed faithfully for more than two decades, driven as much by conviction as by superstition.

Speaking to The Wall Street Journal, Trump acknowledged that physicians have urged him to scale back his intake, but he remains unmoved. “I’m a little superstitious,” he said, explaining his reluctance to tamper with a routine he believes has served him well over the years. The president confirmed that he takes a high daily dose of aspirin, even as doctors caution that it has led to easy bruising.

Trump described his reasoning in vivid terms, saying he believes aspirin helps thin the blood and ease the burden on his heart. “I don’t want thick blood pouring through my heart,” he remarked. “I want nice, thin blood pouring through my heart.”

His physician, Navy Capt. Sean Barbabella, told the journal that the president takes 325 milligrams of aspirin each day as a measure of “cardiac prevention” — four times the commonly prescribed low-dose aspirin of 81 milligrams, as noted by the Mayo Clinic. While doctors have advised a lower dose, Trump said he has consistently declined, accepting bruising as an unwelcome but tolerable side effect.

The aspirin discussion has surfaced amid broader scrutiny of Trump’s health. He told the Journal he now regrets undergoing advanced medical imaging last year, saying it fueled unnecessary speculation. Barbabella clarified that Trump underwent a CT scan — not an MRI — at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center to rule out cardiovascular concerns, and that the results showed no abnormalities. The White House declined to make the physician available for further comment.

The report also noted that Trump briefly experimented with compression socks to address swelling in his lower legs, only to abandon them. “I didn’t like them,” he said simply.

Despite the attention, Barbabella insisted the president remains in “exceptional health” and fully capable of carrying out the demands of the office. White House aides, too, have pointed to Trump’s punishing schedule as evidence of his stamina.

Aspirin has long been a mainstay of heart-related prevention in the United States, and Trump, now 79, continues to credit his wellbeing to what he proudly calls his “very good genetics” — a belief he holds as firmly as his daily aspirin routine.

With IANS inputs