Fit for duty, but Prez should hit gym: WH doc

Washington, January 16 

US President Donald Trump passed a test for signs of dementia and is in overall excellent health, but needs to shed weight by cutting calories, fats and carbohydrates and starting a daily exercise routine, the White House physician said on Tuesday.

Trump, who was coy about sharing medical information during his unconventional 2016 run for office, used his first presidential medical exam to try to put to rest lingering questions about his mental fitness for office.

Trump asked his physician, Dr Ronny Jackson, to add a cognitive screening test to the exam, and authorised him to release a battery of data from the tests.

Jackson said that Trump, who weighs 108 kgs and stands 6 feet 3 inches tall, “would like to lose ... 10 to 15 pounds.” At his weight and height, the President is borderline obese. Jackson said Trump is going to try to lose 10 to 15 pounds (4.5 to 6.8 kg) by eating better and starting to exercise. 

Trump's mental fitness for the job had come under intense scrutiny after a recently published, controversial book, “Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House,” portrayed him as childlike and mercurial. Past presidents are not known to have been tested for mental acuity while in office, including Ronald Reagan. —  Reuters