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US President Donald Trump has reportedly directed his aides to provide more detailed accounts of his public schedule, a move aimed at pushing back against increased scrutiny over his stamina and workload as he approaches 80.
In recent months, the daily schedule released to the media has featured broad and sometimes vague entries such as signing ceremonies, policy discussions and meetings with business leaders—many of them held behind closed doors. Sources familiar with the matter say the shift toward expanding these listings was deliberate and personally ordered by Trump.
Although the president continues to make frequent public appearances, some lasting several hours, he has grown increasingly frustrated by media reports suggesting his workdays are lighter than they were during his first term. Analyses of his official calendar had fueled speculation about his health and energy levels, a narrative Trump reportedly views as unfair and misleading.
To counter this perception, aides began including private meetings and engagements that were previously excluded from the public schedule. These now include closed-door discussions with Cabinet members, executives and outside visitors, as well as phone calls and interviews.
Some entries, such as “Policy Time” or “Signing Time” in the Oval Office, offer little detail but represent periods when Trump reviews and signs official documents—a process he insists on handling personally rather than using an autopen.
Multiple sources say the decision to bulk up the schedule came directly from Trump, who has long been sensitive to claims that he is slowing down.
His frustration reportedly intensified following a late-2025 media report that argued his age was beginning to affect his performance. The report pointed to a decline in official appearances compared to his first year in office, later start times for events and fewer domestic trips.
Trump, according to aides, wanted it made clear that he remains actively engaged throughout the day, even when not in front of cameras. In response to questions about the changes, the White House released a week of his private schedule, showing a packed lineup of meetings, phone calls and engagements running from early morning into the evening.
During that period, the president held dozens of calls and meetings involving foreign leaders, lawmakers, business executives, media figures, administration officials and family members. While some days began later than others, most extended well beyond 7 p.m., according to the internal calendar.
This is not the first time Trump has attempted to shape public perceptions of his work ethic. Near the end of his first term, daily press guidance reportedly included a line personally dictated by the president stressing that he worked “from early in the morning until late in the evening.”
