'Trump at Walter Reed hospital': health rumors prompt White House reaction

A White House official issued a rare statement after it was claimed on social media that the US President Donald Trump was taken to Walter Reed Hospital with a health problem.

Without mentioning the online rumors, Steven Cheung, Assistant to the President & White House Director of Communication, wrote on X "There has never been a President who has worked harder for the American people than President Trump. On this Easter weekend, he has been working nonstop in the White House and Oval Office.  God Bless him."

Last month the White House said President Donald Trump is using a preventative ‌treatment for a red rash on his neck but it declined to share further details about the condition.

Trump's health, at age 79, has been more of a focus in his second term, as bruises on his hands and swelling in his legs have been visible at times.

In January, Trump attributed the ​hand bruising to his ​frequent use ⁠of aspirin, and the White House said the president hit his hand on a table when traveling abroad.

A red, ​blotchy rash was visible on the right side of Trump's neck ​just above the collar line in photographs from his appearance ⁠at a Medal of Honor ceremony.

Last July, after ​the president's ankles appeared swollen, the White House physician said ​an ultrasound ⁠on the president's legs "revealed chronic venous insufficiency, a benign and common condition, particularly in individuals over the age of 70."

As he took office for a ⁠second ​term last year, Trump was the oldest U.S. ​president ever inaugurated, and he frequently compares his health to former Democratic President Joe Biden.