Donald Trump: Height, Weight, Obesity, and Documentation

Height, weight, and obesity
Trump is obese. His 6 feet 2 inches of height and 244+ pounds of weight, give him a body mass index (BMI) of 31.3, well above the threshold value, 30.0 kg/m2, that defines obesity. Trump and his physicians have demeaned themselves with a meager fiction that he is an inch taller. SEE BELOW    A tabulation of his hights and weights is available. MORE
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Primary documentation from government sources -- his draft card in 1964 and his drivers license in 2012 -- gives Trump's height as 6 feet 2 inches. And, during debates in the 2016 presidential campaign, it was apparent that another debater, former Gov. Jeb Bush (6 feet 3 inches), is taller than Trump 1.

Thus, there is no doubt that Trump is 6 feet 2 inches tall (at most).

Since announcing his presidential candidacy, however, Trump has claimed he is 6 feet 3 inches tall and his physicians have acquiesced MORE. Why the discrepancy? Speculations in 2016, when Trump weighed 236 pounds, noted that he would be classified as "obese" if he were 6'2'', but would be classified as merely "overweight" if he were 6'3'' 2. Gaining to 243 pounds in early 2019, Trump now rates as obese even if he were 6 feet 3 inches tall.

He has stated (2016) that "the one thing I would like to do is be able to drop 15, 20 pounds. It would be good." 3

Speculations that Trump's disclosed weight far below his actual weight were known as the "girther" conspiracy, in mocking reference to the fatuous "birther" accusations that President Obama was born outside the United States 4.

Comment: It says something when even the height and weight of the President -- which are the simplest and most straightforward parameters conceivable -- are uncertain and thought to be manipulated. Physician participation in spreading misinformation hurts the profession (at the least).

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His draft card from 1964 states (in box 8) a height of 6' 2'' 5:

 

His 2012 New York state drivers license (obtained from public records of the Commonwealth of Virginia Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control through an open-records request, related to a winery Trump co-owns in central Virginia) also shows a height of 6'2'' 6:

Trump continues to claim he is six-three.

  • March 2016: After an election opponent says he has small hands and is six-two, Trump responds "He said I had small hands. Actually I'm 6'3'' not 6'2''. They're not small, are they?" 7
  • January 2019: At least three photographs on Trump's Facebook and Instagram sites have been altered to make him thinner. This was deduced by comparing the photos to the originals from White House sources 8. (One photo was also altered to make his fingers longer.) Comment: Photographic alterations have been a part of Presidential image-making since at least 1860 with Abraham Lincoln's photographer, Mathew Brady.

It may seem hard to believe, in the face of so many statements from Trump, that he is not six-three, but repetition of inaccuracies is his way, as illustrated in this quote unrelated to medicine 9:

His repeated claims, for example, that he actually won the popular vote -- is immutable and has had a "numbing effect" on people who work with him, said Tony Schwartz, his ghostwriter on The Art of the Deal 10. "He wears you down," Mr. Schwartz said.
Cited Sources
  1. Mathews, Jay. Trump is obsessed with height. Now he's trying to weaponize it in the election. (Published 12 Feb. 2020. Downloaded on 2020-02-12.) Available on the web: https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/trump-is-obsessed-with-height-now-hes-trying-to-weaponize-it-in-the-election/2020/02/11/030cc552-484f-11ea-ab15-b5df3261b710_story.html
  2. Matthews, Susan. Everyone says Trump is 6-foot-2. so why does Trump's doctor say he's 6-foot-3? A theory. Slate. 15 Sept. 2016.   Available on the web at: http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_slatest/2016/09/15/how_tall_is_donald_trump_really.html
  3. Cillizza, Chris; Blake, Aaron. Donald Trump's interview with Dr. Oz was just as amazingly strange as we thought it would be. (Published 15 September, 2016. Downloaded on 2019-12-01.) Available on the web: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2016/09/15/donald-trumps-visit-with-dr-oz-was-just-as-amazing-as-you-though-it-would-be/

    Comment: Also includes annotations by Cillizza and Blake. Their interview transcript is archived here: MORE

  4. Kranz, Michal. Trump's reported weight has ignited a 'girther' conspiracy alleging that the president weighs more than 239 pounds. Business Insider. Jan. 17, 2018.   Available on the web at: https://www.businessinsider.com/what-is-the-girther-movement-trump-weight-2018-1
  5. Selective Service System. [Documentation related to the military draft]. . 13 Sept. 2016.

    Comment: Obtained from The Smoking Gun reference. Scans available here -->   MORE.

  6. Samuelsohn, Darren. Trump's driver's license casts doubt on height claims. Politico. 23 Dec. 2016.   Available on the web at: http://www.politico.com/story/2016/12/trump-drivers-license-height-232948
  7. Bump, Philip. Are Donald Trump's fingers weirdly short? An investigation. (Published 1 Mar. 2016. Downloaded on 2016-03-10.) Available on the web: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2016/03/01/are-donald-trumps-fingers-weirdly-short-an-investigation
  8. Novak, Matt. President Trump Posts Altered Photos to Facebook and Instagram That Make Him Look Thinner. (Published Jan. 21, 2019. Downloaded on 2019-12-18.) Available on the web: https://gizmodo.com/president-trump-posts-altered-photos-to-facebook-and-in-1831909849
  9. Haberman, Maggie; Thrush, Glenn; Baker, Peter. The President's Periodic Physical Exam. (Published Dec. 9, 2017. Downloaded on 2018.) Available on the web: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/09/us/politics/donald-trump-president.html
  10. Trump, Donald J.; Schwartz, Tony. Trump: The Art of the Deal. New York: Random House, 1987.

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