‘I feel very confident the president of the United States is in good shape, is going to serve out the remainder of his term,’ the vice president says.
Vice President JD Vance said in an interview that President Donald Trump is in “incredibly good health” but that he’s prepared to be the commander-in-chief if required.
“Yes, terrible tragedies happen,” Vance told USA Today, responding to a question about the prospect of him being forced to replace Trump.
“But I feel very confident the president of the United States is in good shape, is going to serve out the remainder of his term and do great things for the American people.
“And if, God forbid, there’s a terrible tragedy, I can’t think of better on-the-job training than what I’ve gotten over the last 200 days.”
Trump, who turned 79 in June, became the oldest person to be sworn in as president in January.
In July, the White House said that Trump was diagnosed with chronic venous insufficiency, a common condition among older adults that impacts the veins.
White House physician Sean Barbabella said in a memo that Trump also had bruising on his hands that is “consistent with minor soft tissue irritation from frequent handshaking,” calling it “benign and common.”
“The president is in incredibly good health,” Vance told USA Today, adding that the president is the “last person making phone calls at night, and he’s the first person who wakes up and the first person making phone calls in the morning.”
Aside from the president’s age and health, Trump was also the target of two assassination attempts last year.
In July 2024, Trump was shot through the right ear during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, by a gunman perched on a nearby rooftop.
Two months later, Secret Service officials helped stop a man with a rifle who was hiding in the bushes near Trump’s Florida golf course. The suspect, Ryan Wesley Routh, was later indicted by prosecutors on attempted assassination charges.
