Donald Trump said that he physically feels the same as he did 40 years ago, even though he will turn 80 on June 14, 2026. The statement was made in an interview with journalists from the “New York Times“ in the Oval Office on January 7.
“I think it's easier for me. I feel the same physically. I feel the same as I did 40 years ago“, Trump said in response to a question about what is more difficult in his current term compared to his first.
The transcript does not contain a verbatim line that the president feels “40 years old“. This phrase conveys the meaning of his words, but his exact expression is that he feels the same way he did four decades ago.
Golf as proof of good fitness
Trump pointed to golf as an example of his fitness. He said he played with South African legend Gary Player, who is 90 years old and finished the game with a score of 71.
The president said he knows many people in their 90s who he said are "totally sharp" mentally. Among them, he mentioned businessman Bernie Marcus, who died at the age of 95, with whom he had communicated when Marcus was 93 and 94.
Trump used these examples to emphasize his thesis that advanced age in itself does not mean a loss of work capacity or mental abilities.
Trump also defended his cognitive state
In the conversation, the president said that he had passed three cognitive tests and received maximum results. He stated that such studies are important for the head of state and that he undertook them publicly, despite the risk that the results could be used against him.
The topic of age was also related to his political attacks on Joe Biden. Trump again questioned the former president's ability to perform his duties and said Biden had harmed seniors as a political group.
Trump was born on June 14, 1946, and will be 78 years old when he takes office for a second term on January 20, 2025. He remains the oldest president to begin his term in U.S. history.
Sources: derstandard.at, washingtonpost.com