UPDATE: Donald Trump Takes Office as the 47th US President















































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BREAKING: Doctor Claims Trump, 79, Suffered Serious Medical Issue
Donald Trump suffered a stroke several months ago and has kept it from the public, a prominent medical expert has suggested.
Professor Bruce Davidson of Washington State University’s Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine made the bombshell claim about the 79-year-old president’s health while laying out “lines of evidence supportive” that have also been reported on by the Daily Beast over the past year.
“I think his stroke was on the left side of the brain, which controls the right side of the body,” Davidson told biographer Sidney Blumenthal and Princeton historian Sean Wilentz on their podcast, The Court of History.
“I think the stroke was six months ago or more, earlier in 2025,” he continued. “There are videos of him shuffling his feet, which is not what we’d seen previously when he was striding on the golf course. We’ve seen him holding his right hand cradled in his left. Earlier in 2025, he was garbling words, which he hadn’t done before and which he’s improved upon more recently.”
Davidson also pointed to what he described as “marked episodes of excessive daytime sleepiness,” known medically as hypersomnolence, which he said is common among stroke patients. Trump is now routinely appearing to nod off in public appearances such as White House events.
He further suggested that footage showing Trump gingerly descending the steps of Air Force One while gripping the banister with his left hand, despite the president being right-handed, is “consistent with having had a stroke on the left side of the brain.”
Speculation about the mental and physical decline of Trump, who is on track to become the oldest president in U.S. history, has circulated for months.
The president has frequently appeared in public with large, visible bruises on his hands, which he desperately attempts to conceal with blotches of makeup.
Trump has also taken steps to hide from public view his swollen cankles, a symptom of the medical condition chronic venous insufficiency, which the White House admitted the president had in July 2024.
Additional concerns were raised after Trump appeared at an event commemorating the anniversary of the Sept. 11 terror attacks with his face drooping to one side. Multiple social media users speculated at the time that the appearance could be a sign of a stroke, though no diagnosis has been confirmed.
In a candid interview with The Wall Street Journal published this month, Trump acknowledged several health issues and treatments, including briefly wearing compression socks to help manage swelling in his legs.
He also made the startling admission that he takes more aspirin than his doctors recommend for “cardiac prevention.” Trump and the White House have repeatedly attributed the unsightly bruising on the 79-year-old’s hands to his daily aspirin use, combined with his frequently shaking people’s hands.
Elsewhere during his podcast appearance, Davidson suggested that Trump’s erratic and aggressive governing style during his second term could also be consistent with post-stroke behavioral changes.
“It’s a very serious, concerning, life-threatening, upsetting, scary event, and people react in different ways,” Davidson said. “Some people respond with humility and gratitude. Others become euphoric—‘I was at the cliff of death, and now I’m back.’ And some think, ‘That was my chance to die, and I didn’t—so now I’m going to do everything I wanted to do, because the next one may be fatal.’”
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Trump accepts Nobel medal from Venezuelan opposition leader Machado​

Reuters
By Steve Holland, Bo Erickson and Gram Slattery
Thu, January 15, 2026 at 8:36 PM EST
1.6k

Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado arrives at the U.S. Capitol to meet U.S. senators after her meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House, in Washington, D.C., U.S., January 15, 2026. REUTERS/Elizabeth Frantz

Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado is pursued by members of the news media as she greets supporters outside the White House following a meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington, D.C., U.S., January 15, 2026. REUTERS/Craig Hudson

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Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado meets with U.S. senators on Capitol Hill in Washington​

Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado arrives at the U.S. Capitol to meet U.S. senators after her meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House, in Washington, D.C., U.S., January 15, 2026. REUTERS/Elizabeth FrantzMore

By Steve Holland, Bo Erickson and Gram Slattery
WASHINGTON, Jan 15 (Reuters) - Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado gave her Nobel Peace Prize medal to U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday during a White House meeting, as she tries to gain some influence over how the president shapes the South American country's political future.
A White House official confirmed that Trump intends to keep the medal.
In a social media post on Thursday ‌evening, Trump wrote: "Maria presented me with her Nobel Peace Prize for the work I have done. Such a wonderful gesture of mutual respect. Thank you Maria!"
Machado, who described the meeting as "excellent," said the gift ‌was in recognition of what she called his commitment to the freedom of the Venezuelan people.
Machado's attempt to sway Trump came after he dismissed the idea of installing her as Venezuela's leader to replace the deposed Nicolas Maduro. Trump openly campaigned for the prize before Machado was awarded it last month and complained bitterly when he was snubbed.
Though Machado gave Trump the gold medal that honorees receive with the prize, the honor remains hers; the Norwegian Nobel Institute has said the prize cannot be transferred, shared or revoked.
Asked ⁠on Wednesday if he wanted Machado to give him the ‌prize, Trump told Reuters: "No, I didn't say that. She won the Nobel Peace Prize."
The Republican president long expressed interest in winning the prize and has at times linked it to diplomatic achievements.
The lunch meeting, which appeared to last slightly over an hour, marked ‍the first time the two have met in person. Machado then met with more than a dozen senators, both Republican and Democratic, on Capitol Hill, where she has generally found more enthusiastic allies.
While the visit was ongoing, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Trump had been looking forward to meeting Machado, but that he stood by his "realistic" assessment that she did not currently have the support needed to lead the country in the short term.
Machado, who fled Venezuela in a daring seaborne escape in December, is competing ‌for Trump's ear with members of Venezuela's government and seeking to ensure she has a role in governing the nation going forward.
After the U.S. captured Maduro in a snatch-and-grab operation this month, various opposition figures, members of Venezuela's diaspora and politicians throughout the U.S. and Latin America have expressed hope that Venezuela will begin the process of democratization.
HOPES OF A MOVE TO DEMOCRACY
Democratic Senator Chris Murphy, one of the senators who met with Machado, said the opposition leader had told senators that repression in Venezuela was no different now than under Maduro. Venezuela's interim President Delcy Rodriguez is a "smooth operator" who was growing more entrenched by the day thanks to Trump's support, ⁠he said.
"I hope elections happen, but I'm skeptical," said Murphy, of Connecticut.
Trump has said he is focused on securing U.S. access to the country's oil and economically rebuilding Venezuela.
Trump has on several occasions praised Rodriguez, Maduro's second-in-command, who became Venezuela's leader upon his capture. In an interview with Reuters on Wednesday, Trump said, "She's been very good to deal with."
Machado was banned from running in Venezuela's 2024 presidential election by a top court stacked with Maduro allies. Outside ‍observers widely believe Edmundo Gonzalez, an opposition figure ⁠backed by Machado, won by a substantial margin, but Maduro claimed victory and retained power.
While the current government has freed dozens of political prisoners in recent days, outside groups and advocates have said the scale of the releases has been exaggerated by Caracas.
In an annual address to lawmakers, Rodriguez called ⁠for diplomacy with the U.S. and said should she need to travel to Washington, she would do so "walking on her feet, not dragged there."
She also said she would propose reforms to her country's ‌oil industry aimed at increasing access for foreign investors.
(Reporting by Steve Holland, Bo Erickson, Gram Slattery and Nandita Bose; Additional reporting by Nolan ‌McCaskill, Joseph Ax, and Ismail Shakil; Editing by Colleen Jenkins, Rod Nickel and Thomas Derpinghaus)
 
KoolAid
2 hours ago

The Nobel Peace Prize, once announced, cannot be revoked, shared, or transferred, as the decision is final and stands for all time, according to the Norwegian Nobel Institute and Nobel Foundation statutes , which prohibit appeals or changes to the award.
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BRUCE
1 hour ago

You're obviously correct, but I suspect it won't matter to Trump. Was it really unclear if he accepted it...of course he did. Probably clutched it tightly and ran to the White House to put it on one of the mantles for display.
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Trish
2 hours ago

Venezuelan opposition leader Machado says she presented Nobel medal to Trump

A mistake. Trump turns on everyone. He cannot be appeased, it never works. Efforts by allies and domestic institutions to placate him have historically emboldened further demands rather than securing stability.
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  • robert q
    1 hour ago

    She is going to learn the hard way...as so many have in the past.
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    • CATHRYN
      23 minutes ago

      Sadly, Donald Trump will take advantage of her kindness.
      Reply

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