Did Donald Trump Have A Stroke? The Evidence A Doctor Is Using To Back Up His Claims

During President Donald Trump's second term, the general public has engaged in quite a bit of speculation about the state of the president's health, pointing to everything from the frequent bruises on his hands to his multiple cognitive tests as evidence of a serious health issue. 

In an attempt to reassure a nervous populace, the White House has revealed that Trump uses aspirin to protect his cardiovascular health, and he has chronic venous insufficiency, a common condition in older adults that can cause ankle and leg swelling. However, his own claims of "perfect health" have been met with skepticism.

Adding to the controversy, health professionals have also been weighing in. In January 2026, a speech-language pathologist took to her TikTok to suggest that the "slurping" sound Trump makes when speaking could be a symptom of neurological decline. And, while it's purely speculative, one physician believes the politician may have had a stroke sometime in 2025.

Professor Bruce Davidson of Washington State University's Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine laid out the reasoning for his claim on "The Court of History" podcast (via YouTube).

"I think his stroke was on the left side of the brain, which controls the right side of the body," he told the hosts," adding, "I think the stroke was six months ago or more, earlier in 2025." Delving into what he sees as evidence of this event, he pointed out that there have been videos of Trump shuffling his feet on the golf course. He has also been seen cradling his right hand in his left. "Earlier in 2025, he was garbling words," Davidson went on to say, "which he hadn't done before and which he's improved upon more recently." 

Other bits of proof, according to the academic, are Trump's relatively recent tendency to nod off during appearances as well as his using his left hand to hold onto a banister even though he is right-handed. While Davidson didn't mention it, the news media have also reported on an incident on September 11, 2025, when Trump appeared to have a "droopy" face (per Daily Beast), a symptom which is consistent with a stroke (per American Heart Association).

Davidson conceded, however, that if Trump did have a stroke, it "looks like he's had a significant recovery."