The White House has released “Oval Office logs” reportedly showing President Donald Trump has maintained a busy schedule in recent weeks, working up to 12 hours a day, as part of an effort to counter claims that he is slowing down with age.
The previously undisclosed logs — shared exclusively with The New York Post — cover a period from November 12 to November 25, excluding weekends. They reportedly detail dozens of meetings, phone calls and late-night dinners, providing a more comprehensive look at the president’s schedule than what is publicly available.
The records, which do not include unsolicited calls and early morning social media posts, indicate the Republican president is “working longer hours than the average American,” the NYP reported.
The file dump is designed to rebut a recent report from The New York Times which concluded Trump is showing “signs of fatigue” based on his public schedule.
The NYT story, published on November 25, found that Trump’s public schedule is shorter than during his first term — with meetings beginning later in the day — and he has made fewer domestic trips.
“When he is in public, occasionally, his battery shows signs of wear,” the outlet reported. “During an Oval Office event that began around noon on Nov. 6, Mr. Trump sat behind his desk for about 20 minutes as executives standing around him talked about weight-loss drugs. At one point, Mr. Trump’s eyelids drooped until his eyes were almost closed, and he appeared to doze on and off for several seconds.”
Following the story’s publication, Trump became enraged, labeling NYT reporter Katie Rogers as “ugly, both inside and out.”
At 79, Trump is the second oldest person ever to serve as president, following former President Joe Biden, who bowed out of the 2024 race amid widespread concerns over his mental and physical health.
Trump has frequently sought to contrast himself with Biden, calling him mentally incompetent while casting himself as full of energy. But since returning to office in January, Trump’s own health has faced scrutiny on multiple occasions, including in September, when social media erupted with speculation after he did not participate in official events for days.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Independent.
According to the NYP, the logs indicate the president worked “roughly 50-hour weeks” in late November as he sought to reform the country’s immigration and trade policies and attempted to bring an end to the Ukraine-Russia War.
On November 12 — the day Congress voted to end the government shutdown — the president reportedly took part in 32 calls and meetings with aides, businesspeople and lawmakers.
Trump began the day at 10:30 a.m. with a staff meeting before participating in calls and sit-downs with various officials, including Vice President JD Vance, half a dozen lawmakers and a trio of judicial nominees.
Later in the day, he hosted a 7:45 p.m. dinner with Wall Street executives, followed by a late-night bill signing ceremony and a 10:40 p.m. meeting with a business executive, according to the NYP.
The next day, Thursday, November 13, Trump took part in 17 calls and meetings over the course of nearly nine hours. One was a morning sit-down with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and another was a “pre-brief” with a speechwriter.
On Friday morning, Trump phoned four foreign leaders, with the first, focused on easing tensions between Thailand and Cambodia, beginning at 8:21 a.m. Afterward, he took part in 18 more calls or meetings, undertook a media interview and spoke to reporters for 26 minutes on Air Force One while en route to Mar-a-Lago, according to the report.
“The truth is President Trump never stops working, and his private schedule, Truth Social posts, and around-the-clock engagement on every issue proves just that,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told the outlet.
“I cannot imagine anybody with more dedication and focus and work ethic than Donald Trump,” White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles added. “At least in my life and career, I’ve seen nothing like it and it seems to accelerate as we go through the term.”
The NYT is standing by its coverage of the president’s schedule.
“The Times’s reporting is accurate and built on first hand reporting of the facts,” a spokesperson for the paper told the NYP.
“Name-calling and personal insults don’t change that, nor will our journalists hesitate to cover this administration in the face of intimidation tactics like this. Expert and thorough reporters like Katie Rogers exemplify how an independent and free press helps the American people better understand their government and its leaders.”
