Donald Trump's Admission About His Aspirin Use Raises Major Health Red Flags

In January 2026, President Donald J. Trump told the Wall Street Journal that he takes aspirin each day to keep his blood "thin." But recently updated scientific community recommendations indicate that his daily aspirin regimen may be unnecessary and potentially risky to his health.  (Read why aspirin may do more harm than good as a blood thinner.)

Trump's not alone in turning to aspirin to improve his cardiovascular health. Approximately 18.5 million individuals over the age of 60 take a low daily dose of aspirin to prevent heart problems, according to a 2024 study in Annals of Internal Medicine.

Dr. Sean Barbabella, Trump's physician, said that the 79-year-old president takes 325 milligrams of aspirin each day. This amount is within the acceptable daily dose range to prevent cardiac issues (81 to 325 milligrams) outlined in 2021 by the American College of Cardiology. (Trump may be taking more, though: He has said he takes more than his doctors recommend, though he didn't give specifics on how much.

That said, the American College of Cardiology range was specifically aimed at patients who had already had one myocardial infarction. Trump has no record of having had a myocardial infarction, only high cholesterol, which Dr. Barbabella described as being "well-controlled" in a 2025 memo from the White House.

The practice of taking any aspirin daily for a long time seems to be outdated. In 2019, guidelines published by the American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association (via JACC) veered away from routine aspirin ingestion as a preventative heart disease treatment. Instead, the guidelines suggested aspirin be prescribed to patients "infrequently." Additionally, the American Heart Association recommends taking a low dose of aspirin daily only under supervision by a physician. (Trump's daily 325-milligram dose is considered high.)

What's wrong with an aspirin-a-day routine? For one, aspirin can prompt the development of stomach ulcers, kidney malfunction, and stomach acid buildup. Heavy aspirin use can also lead to bruising. Trump acknowledged that his aspirin use contributed to his hand bruising, telling the Wall Street Journal, "I've done it [taken aspirin] for years, and what it does do is it causes bruising" (via CNN).

Trump's remark supports what White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said about his evident hand bruises in 2025. Leavitt brushed off concerns regarding the bruises that were ratcheting up people's worries about the president, explaining that they were the result of constant handshaking and exacerbated by his taking aspirin.