I don’t want to look fat, Trump says on wearing bulletproof vest

US President Donald Trump said Thursday he wasn’t keen on wearing a bulletproof vest despite multiple alleged assassination attempts — as he is worried it may make him look fat.

“I don’t know if I can handle looking 20 pounds heavier,” Trump told reporters when asked if there were discussions about him wearing a protective vest.

Reports in US media said it was under consideration following the latest alleged attempt to kill the 79-year-old president at a Washington gala on Saturday.

“I’ve been asked about that. I guess it’s something you consider. In one way, you don’t like to do it because you’re giving in to a bad element. And so, I don’t know. But I have been asked about it.”

A man has been charged with trying to assassinate the Republican on Saturday night at the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner at the Washington Hilton hotel. Secret Service agents tackled the alleged assailant before he was able to reach the ballroom where the gala was taking place.

It was the third alleged attempt on Trump’s life in the space of two years.

The most serious was when the president was wounded in the ear by a gunman at an election rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, in 2024. One audience member was killed.

Former reality TV star Trump is notoriously sensitive about his appearance.

His weight has been a concern, although he is slimmer in his second term as president.

A self-confessed fast food fan, Trump weighed 224 pounds (101.6 kilograms) as of his last full annual medical in April 2025, down from 243 pounds in 2019.

AFP