President Donald Trump received a COVID-19 booster shot and flu vaccination during a visit to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on Friday, October 10, 2025, even as his Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. continues to restrict vaccine access and spread skepticism about the immunizations.
The 79-year-old president underwent what his administration described as a routine checkup, his second visit to the medical facility in six months. White House physician Dr. Sean Barbabella released a memo that evening detailing Trump’s health status and confirming he received both vaccinations in preparation for his travel to the Middle East.
According to Barbabella, “President Donald J. Trump remains in exceptional health, exhibiting strong cardiovascular, pulmonary, neurological, and physical performance.” The physician indicated Trump’s cardiac age was approximately 14 years younger than his chronological age, based on electrocardiogram testing that can assess heart disease risk.
The timing of Trump’s vaccination created a striking contrast with Kennedy’s ongoing campaign against COVID-19 vaccines. The longtime vaccine skeptic, who serves as Trump’s top health official, has previously called the COVID vaccine the deadliest vaccine ever made, despite scientific evidence showing the immunizations have saved an estimated 15 million lives worldwide.
Under Kennedy’s leadership, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) updated its vaccine guidance in late August, recommending significantly restricted access to COVID shots. The new guidelines limit recommendations to people 65 and older or those with underlying health conditions, and only after consultation with healthcare providers. The changes have created a complex patchwork of vaccine policies across states, making it more difficult for many Americans to obtain the shots.
Kennedy also overhauled the CDC’s vaccine advisory panel earlier this year, firing all members and replacing them with his own selections. Former CDC Director Susan Monarez testified before a Senate committee that Kennedy pressured her to pre-emptively approve vaccine recommendations from the panel and became upset when she refused.
The Food and Drug Administration ended emergency-use authorizations for COVID-19 vaccines in late August, approving Moderna, Pfizer and Novavax immunizations only for specific populations. Moderna vaccines were approved for children six months and older with underlying conditions and people over 65. Pfizer received approval for those five and older with underlying conditions and people over 65. Novavax was approved for those 12 and older with underlying conditions and people over 65.
Trump’s physician noted that the Friday checkup was part of the president’s ongoing health maintenance plan and included advanced imaging, laboratory testing, and preventive health assessments. Barbabella described Trump’s lab results as exceptional, including stable metabolic, hematologic, and cardiac parameters.
The visit to Walter Reed came approximately six months after Trump’s previous physical examination in April. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt had characterized the October visit as a yearly checkup despite it being the president’s second examination of the year.
Trump was diagnosed with chronic venous insufficiency in July, a non-life-threatening condition that causes blood to pool in the legs. The condition can result in swelling, pain, skin discoloration, and potentially ulcer development. The diagnosis came after Trump was observed with persistent bruising on his hand and swollen legs. The Friday medical memo did not provide an update on this condition.
The president became the oldest person elected to the office in November, just months older than Joe Biden was when he was elected four years earlier. Trump has maintained he feels in great physical and mental shape and previously boasted about his performance on cognitive tests administered during his spring checkup.
Hours after Trump received his vaccinations, White House budget director Russell Vought worked with Kennedy to lay off more than 1,300 viral disease experts and staffers at the CDC. Approximately half of those layoffs were later reversed, but around 600 CDC workers remained terminated after being designated non-essential.
A recent poll found that only one in four Americans believes Kennedy’s health recommendations are based on scientific evidence. Kennedy has made repeated claims linking autism to childhood vaccines and Tylenol, despite a lack of scientific support for these assertions. In September, Kennedy’s CDC filed a notice awarding a contract to investigate possible links between vaccines and autism, after he failed to deliver on a promise to find the cause of autism through vaccine research.
Trump developed Operation Warp Speed during his first presidency to accelerate COVID vaccine development and distribution. He has stated that Kennedy holds a different view on vaccines than he and other medical experts.
In September, Trump joked about hoping he had not contracted COVID after Kennedy sneezed near him in the Oval Office.