Donald Trump — who has long welcomed his supporters' view of him as a messiah — appears concerned about the likelihood that he'll go to heaven.
On Tuesday, the president called up his friends over at Fox & Friends — after visits from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and other foreign leaders to the White House to discuss the ongoing war with Russia — and confessed what's motivating him to broker peace talks: ensuring he gets past those pearly gates upon his death.
It was an odd moment of reflection from the former reality star, known for standing his ground and never admitting any wrongdoing even over his most serious offenses in the last decade and beyond, and certainly not known for being self-deprecating, let alone addressing his own mortality. Here's the latest.
"Not doing well"
On the phone with Fox & Friends at 8am on Tuesday, speaking about Ukraine and Russia, Trump said: "If I can save 7,000 people a week from getting killed, that's pretty good," before confessing: "I want to try and get to heaven, if possible."
He went so far as to admit: "I'm hearing I'm not doing well. I am really at the bottom of the totem pole," and maintained: "But if I can get to heaven, this will be one of the reasons."
Going back to his usual self, he then touted himself for supposedly saving "a lot of lives with India, Pakistan," when they were "going at it," referring to the May 2025 conflict between the two countries sparked by a terrorist attack in Indian-administered Kashmir, which killed 26 people.
He then suggested he has made "six, actually seven," peace deals during his second term.
What people are saying
The odd, seemingly soul-searching moment immediately led many to wonder what is going on with Trump's health.
The Lincoln Project, which was launched in 2019 by conservatives and Republicans against Trump, including George Conway, who was married to Trump's former counselor Kellyanne Conway at the time, stated on X in response to Trump's heaven comments: "Lots to unpack here… but mostly, his health can't be right if this is top of mind for him," which many have reiterated across social media.
Latest on Trump's health
In another break from his usual character, last month, Trump acquiesced to giving rare insight into his health — notably, while most headlines about him were about his relationship with late sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein — after the size of his swollen ankles raised concern.
After undergoing a "comprehensive examination, including diagnostic vascular studies" with the White House Medical Unit, per his Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, he was diagnosed with "chronic venous insufficiency, ICD-9, a common condition, particularly in individuals over the age of 70," per a note from his physician, Capt. Sean Barbabella
The note maintained there was "no evidence of deep vein thrombosis or arterial disease," and that Trump's lab testing was all "within normal limits." He also underwent an echocardiogram, which found "no signs of heart failure, renal impairment, or systemic illness," she said.