Donald Trump ‘has not looked well,’ former Vice President Dick Cheney’s longtime cardiologist says amid mounting health concerns

President Donald Trump is facing renewed questions about his health after the cardiologist who treated former Vice President Dick Cheney for nearly three decades said the commander-in-chief “has not looked well” and identified seven areas where he believes Americans deserve more information, Wonderwall.com can report.

Dr. Jonathan Reiner, a professor of medicine and surgery at George Washington University, raised questions about everything from Trump’s bruised hands and swollen legs to his apparent daytime sleepiness and advanced medical imaging in an August 12 guest essay for The New York Times.

Reiner made clear that he is not Trump’s doctor and has reviewed only the president’s medical information that has been made public.

Trump, who turned 80 in June, is the oldest person ever to assume the presidency.

Reiner spent 27 years as Cheney’s cardiologist, including the former vice president’s eight years in the White House, and noted that Cheney was unusually open about his health problems.

Reiner acknowledged that Trump’s physician, Dr. Sean Barbabella, reported after a May examination that Trump “remains in excellent health.”

But Reiner believes there are unanswered questions. “Despite reassurances from the White House to the contrary, at times over the past year, the president has not looked well,” he wrote.

“He’s had large bruises on both hands, swelling in his legs and episodes when it appears that he is struggling to stay awake. He’s also had advanced imaging performed for unclear reasons. The public is again left to wonder whether the nation’s leader is OK.”

As a Washington, D.C., source told Wonderwall.com, “There is growing concern about the gap between the very broad assurances coming from the White House and the questions being raised by experienced physicians examining the information available publicly. Nobody outside the president’s medical team can diagnose him, but greater disclosure could put much of this speculation to rest. It’s fair to say major health fears around Trump are growing.”

Reiner questioned why Trump’s May physical involved 22 consultants, calling that an “extraordinary number of specialists.”

He also took issue with the explanation for the bruises repeatedly seen on Trump’s hands. The White House has attributed them to frequent handshaking and aspirin use, but Reiner wrote that handshaking “has never seemed plausible” and doesn’t explain why Trump’s left hand has also appeared discolored.

Reiner also questioned Trump’s aspirin dosage and raised another issue involving the president’s legs. After Trump developed swelling in the summer of 2025, the White House disclosed that he had chronic venous insufficiency, a common condition in older adults. But Reiner pointed out that Barbabella reported no swelling during Trump’s physical just months earlier.

“If that’s true, his swelling would be by definition acute, not chronic,” Reiner wrote, noting that acute swelling can have other causes.

Reiner also questioned Trump’s apparent difficulty staying awake during some public appearances. “Although the president is a renowned night owl, his sleepiness seems relatively new,” he wrote. “There are several possible causes for the president’s symptoms, some of which could have serious complications if left untreated.”

The cardiologist noted that Trump’s May medical report did not address the issue.

He also questioned why Trump underwent advanced imaging of his heart and abdomen at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in October 2025. Barbabella said the testing found no abnormalities, but Reiner asked whether a specific symptom or medical event had prompted the scans.

Trump’s repeated cognitive testing also made Reiner’s list. The president has frequently touted his performance on the Montreal Cognitive Assessment, but Reiner described it as a “brief and basic screening tool” and questioned why Trump has taken it multiple times and whether more extensive neurocognitive testing has been performed.

Reiner also raised questions about what medications Trump is taking.

Past medical reports disclosed the president’s use of finasteride, a hair-loss drug, but it was not included in his latest report. Reiner stressed that whether Trump takes the medication isn’t important; he questioned whether other prescribed drugs have also been left out of public disclosures.

The cardiologist argued that the larger issue goes beyond Trump. Unlike members of the military, commercial pilots and some other workers, presidents are not formally required to periodically demonstrate that they are medically fit to perform their duties.

Reiner pointed to a bill introduced in April by Rep. Jamie Raskin that would create a congressional commission to assess a president’s health and fitness under the 25th Amendment.

He acknowledged that presidents are entitled to some medical privacy, particularly when disclosure could create national security concerns, but argued that Americans deserve confidence in their leader’s ability to do the job.

“In a representative democracy, the people must have confidence in the health of their leader, and in the leader’s capacity to guide the nation,” Reiner wrote. “We have been kept in the dark too long.”

The White House rejected Reiner’s concerns. Spokesperson Davis Ingle responded to the op-ed by calling Trump the “sharpest, most accessible and energetic” president and branding the cardiologist “an a**-hat engaging in armchair diagnosis for political purposes.”