Trump weighs 10 kg more than before 2024 election, experts warn of health risks

US President Donald Trump has gained more than 10 kilograms since before the 2024 presidential election, putting him just 0.7 kg short of the medical threshold for obesity, experts warned.

According to the Washington Post on Sunday (local time), Trump weighed 238 pounds (108 kg) in a White House physical examination released last May.

That is about 10.5 kg more than the 215 pounds (97.5 kg) recorded when he was booked into a Georgia jail in August 2023 on charges related to his alleged attempt to overturn the 2020 election results. His weight has also risen more than 6 kg in just over a year from the 224 pounds (101.6 kg) recorded at his April last year physical.

At 6 feet 3 inches (190 cm) tall, Trump would re-enter the obesity category — as he did in 2019 and 2020 — if he gains just 1.6 more pounds (0.7 kg), the Washington Post said.

Trump's physician, Sean Barbabella, recommended sustained weight loss and dietary management in the May physical report. However, he said the president's overall physical functions — including his heart, lungs and nervous system — were in good condition, and assessed him as fully fit to carry out his duties as president and commander in chief.

Trump himself has brought up his weight on several recent occasions. At last month's White House Correspondents' Association dinner, he joked that he would not call anyone "fat," adding, "I have my own problems."

In a podcast interview with Usha Vance, the vice president's wife, released last month, Trump referenced former President William Howard Taft, who weighed more than 300 pounds (136 kg), saying, "He was the heaviest president in American history. I have to be careful — I don't want to break his record."

Medical experts said the weight gain could pose health risks for Trump given his age. David Kessler, who served as FDA commissioner under both the George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton administrations, warned that excess body fat raises the risk of premature death, particularly highlighting the dangers of visceral fat that accumulates around the liver, pancreas and heart.

According to federal government data, more than 40 percent of American adults are classified as obese and more than 30 percent as overweight. The Trump administration has also made weight loss a key public health priority through its "Make America Healthy Again" campaign.