Is Trump healthy or not? Rumors expose the risks of electing older presidents | Opinion
President Donald Trump is the oldest person to have been sworn in as president — a reality that should give every American pause.
In recent days, questions and rumors surrounding Trump’s health have been front and center. Photos of Trump’s swollen ankles, comments on his apparent inability to walk in a straight line and makeup covering bruising on his hand have saturated social media.
In an effort to dispel myths and put rumors to bed, Trump — who turned 79 on June 14 — was seen golfing on Saturday at his club in Sterling, Va. But the online rumors and conspiracy theories have continued.
The rumors may be baseless, but they highlight a truth we cannot and should not ignore: America’s leaders are aging, and with age comes risk.
A president dying while in office isn’t new. The last time that happened was in 1945, when President Franklin D. Roosevelt died while America was in the middle of WWII. Within hours of FDR’s passing, Vice President Harry S. Truman — less than 90 days into his role as VP — was sworn in and assumed the presidency.
For a wartime America, the transition was jarring, but Americans were united in their grief and trust in the system designed by our founding fathers.
Today’s succession, if it were to happen, would unfold in a vastly different landscape: Conspiracy theories would run rampant on social media and a population that reflexively distrusts official explanations could reject the truth.
Even with complete medical documentation proving natural causes, there is a possibility that a portion of Americans would reject the official explanation. The result wouldn’t be a nation united in grief over the loss of its president, but an America that could become further divided. That would be dangerous for our country internally, but it would also, no doubt, color the perception of our strength on the world stage.
The questions about a president’s health and ability to do the job have been something of a national obsession lately. As we all remember, when former President Joe Biden was in office, questions about his health and mental fitness to do the job were brought up frequently.
But it wasn’t until after a poor debate showing in June of last year that Biden’s own party forced the incumbent to step aside from the presidential race.
Now, with Trump showing signs of aging, the same uncomfortable questions are being asked: Who is really running the country?
Even if Vice President JD Vance took over — as outlined in the Constitution under the line of presidential succession — some Americans may not see him as a legitimate president.
According to the Constitution, the duties of the vice president are to preside over the Senate, cast tie-breaking votes and succeed the president in the event of his death, resignation or inability to serve.
In an Aug. 28 interview with USA Today, when Vance was asked if he was ready to assume the role of commander in chief, he said, “I’ve gotten a lot of good on-the-job training over the last 200 days.”
Vance tried to offer reassurances, saying Trump “is in good shape” and will “serve out the remainder of his term.” That may be true but it doesn’t alter the fact that we are having this conversation about American leadership and age — and we need to.
With a commander-in-chief of this age, the risks of illness and sudden decline are greater than at previous points in presidential history. Presidents are mortal. No amount of makeup, photo ops or golf outings can change that.
Our founders understood this. They created the office of the vice president to guarantee continuity. But they could never have imagined the age of social media — an era where misinformation spreads faster than truth, and millions of Americans reject facts that contradict their worldview.
The greatest challenge of a president dying in office today may not be swearing-in of the next one. The Constitution is clear on the presidential line of succession. The true test would be whether the country can hold together under the weight of the suspicion, conspiracy and division that may follow.
Succession in 2025 would test not just the Constitution but the character of the American people.
Mary Anna Mancuso is a member of McClatchy’s Miami Herald Editorial Board. Her email: mmancuso@miamiherald.com
This story was originally published September 2, 2025 at 2:08 PM.