Snapshot · The Bulwark Podcast
Trump's administration has released less and less health information even as he makes more frequent visits to Walter Reed; his swollen ankles from venous insufficiency were only addressed after photographers noticed.
Where this was said
At 39:10 · chapter starts 37:50
Miller asks about the topic Haberman and Swan were least able to crack: Trump's physical health. She admits it freely — this was the area where their reporting most fell short, not for lack of trying. What is visible is telling enough: Trump falls asleep at public events and during his 2024 trial. His sleeping habits are strange — he was found still asleep late one morning by a trusted aide who went to the residence to check on him after he'd gone silent. He has chronic venous insufficiency causing swollen ankles, a condition that only became public when photographers noticed, and which Trump directed press secretary Caroline Levitt to address from the podium — a decision that struck many in the White House as highly unusual given his well-documented vanity. His visits to Walter Reed are increasingly frequent. And throughout, the administration has released less and less health information. Haberman's conclusion: beyond the visible facts of an 80-year-old man who 'looks 80,' she knows no more than the public does.
Trump's health is the most tightly guarded secret in his administration. He falls asleep at events, has chronic venous insufficiency with swollen ankles, and is taking increasingly frequent visits to Walter Reed — while his administration releases progressively less information about his condition.
Trump's White House bedroom featured potato chip bags, ice cream cartons, Starburst wrappers, a carpeted bathroom, and bankers boxes stacked so high they left impressions in the carpet. Staff monitored the silverware because pieces kept disappearing into the trash. This is how the president of the United States lives.
Spencer Greenberg and Jeremy Stevenson analyzed almost 500 self-improvement techniques and found they all reduce to just 12 underlying psychological drivers.
Cold exposure has good short-term alertness benefits but the evidence base for long-term health benefits is much weaker than popularly believed.
In a randomized study of 20 habit-formation techniques run on hundreds of people, almost none of the techniques produced statistically meaningful results.
People given a tiny-habit fallback option (e.g. 10 squats instead of gym) were actually MORE successful at completing the full habit, not less.
The most effective habit-formation technique was 'habit reflection' — recalling a past successful habit, writing down what helped, then applying those lessons to a new habit.
A study found that simply scheduling enjoyable activities was as effective as standard cognitive behavioral therapy for depression, leading to its own therapy called behavioral activation.
The 'worry time' technique — deferring all worries to a designated time of day — helps people realize they have more control over worry than they thought and reveals it is less useful than it feels.
A study found that participants told to try to stay awake while in bed fell asleep faster than participants told to try to sleep — illustrating the paradox of direct effort.
Spencer Greenberg reduced his severe social anxiety dramatically in roughly 6 months through a structured exposure therapy hierarchy, culminating in asking strangers for hugs.
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