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US President Donald Trump blamed aspirin for large bruises on his hand and denied falling asleep while attending public meetings in an interview with the Wall Street Journal.

In the interview defending his health, Trump also changed his previous statement about receiving an MRI scan in October, saying it was instead a quicker CT scan.

Trump, who at 79 is the oldest person to assume the US presidency, told the Journal “my health is perfect” and expressed frustration with scrutiny of his wellbeing.

Trump has based much of his political image on projecting vigour – whether through his frequent interactions with journalists, constant social media posting, or AI memes depicting him as a superhero.

However, the first year of his second term in office has raised growing questions.

His right hand shows persistent bruising, often covered with thick makeup and at times a bandage, and his ankles have appeared swollen.

On occasion, Trump has clearly struggled to keep his eyes open, including during a televised Oval Office meeting with health representatives in November – a politically sensitive issue for someone who constantly frames his Democratic predecessor Joe Biden as “sleepy”.

Biden left office a year ago at 82, making him the oldest president in history – a record Trump is set to surpass during his current term.

Trump rarely exercises beyond outings at his golf courses and for years has made no secret of his love for high-fat, high-sodium fast food.

Bruising and ‘blinking’

The Republican explained the bruising on his hand as the result of aspirin that he takes daily to thin his blood. “I don’t want thick blood pouring through my heart,” he told the Journal.

He said he applies make-up or bandages when his hand is “whacked”.

One cut, he said, was caused when his attorney general Pam Bondi hit the back of his hand with her ring while giving him a high-five.

Explanations of his health issues have been inconsistent.

Trump himself told reporters that he underwent an MRI scan in October, but said at the time he had “no idea what they analysed”.

“Whatever they analysed, they analysed it well, and they said that I had as good a result as they’ve ever seen,” he said initially.

To the Journal, Trump said it was not an MRI, “it was less than that. It was a scan.”

Trump’s doctor, Sean Barbabella, confirmed to the newspaper that a CT scan – a procedure that takes far less time than an MRI – was done “to definitively rule out any cardiovascular issues”.

Trump pushed back against any idea that he falls asleep in public.

“I’ve never been a big sleeper,” Trump said.

Instances where he appears to be dozing off are just moments of relaxation, he said.

“I’ll just close. It’s very relaxing to me,” he said. “Sometimes they’ll take a picture of me blinking, blinking, and they’ll catch me with the blink.”

- Agence France-Presse