Donald Trump, 79, Shows Off His Cankles at Summit With Asian Leaders as Health Rumors Swirl

Donald Trump is once again raising questions about his health.

The 79-year-old president was photographed with noticeably swollen cankles during a summit with Southeast Asian leaders on Sunday, October 26.

As Trump sat down beside Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, his navy dress pants slid up just enough to reveal the puffy swelling around his ankles. Photos captured the bulge spilling over the edges of his shoes, making Ibrahim’s own ankles look much slimmer by comparison.

This isn’t the first time his legs have sparked concern. Earlier this month, Trump’s cankles were spotted while he was meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney. In the images, the swelling stood out sharply against his polished black footwear and Carney’s leaner appearance.

People even noticed camera operators seemed to avoid lingering too long on Trump’s lower half during the summit footage — almost like they didn’t want the ankles stealing the spotlight.

Still, the White House insisted there’s nothing to worry about.

Spokesman Kush Desai brushed off the chatter, telling one outlet, “President Trump has tremendous health. He’s a champion-level golfer with the vitality, mental acuity, and energy levels that most young people could not fathom having.”

Reporters have been pressing the administration for transparency.

Back in August, CBS News’ Ed O’Keefe asked if Trump’s physician — who previously declared him healthy — would speak publicly about his condition.

Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt dodged a firm commitment but said, “It’s certainly something we can look into and explore out of the effort of transparency, because unlike the previous White House, there is nothing to hide.”

“You guys see this president working around the clock, literally 24/7, all of the time,” she added, insisting his lifestyle hasn’t changed.

Trump himself revealed in July that he has chronic venous insufficiency — a condition where vein valves don’t function properly, leading to swelling and skin changes. That announcement came after fans noticed his ankles looking enlarged at the FIFA Club World Cup Final on July 13. Around the same time, he was spotted covering bruises on his right hand with flesh-toned makeup.

Questions popped up again in October when Trump went for his second “routine yearly check-up” of 2025.

According to Leavitt, Dr. Sean Barbabella claimed the president is in “excellent shape,” but his report didn’t explain the “advanced imaging” Trump received.

When asked whether the scan was an MRI, Leavitt replied, “I don’t know the exact imaging that took place, but as the physician’s note said, the president is in incredibly good shape and I think that’s evidenced here every single day.” That answer only fueled more curiosity about why the president needed two major exams in one year.