Every president’s health, ranked

Long before President Donald Trump swilled a dozen Diet Cokes per day and argued exercise may kill you quicker, men in the Oval Office have been known for their odd health behaviors. 

That’s one of the takeaways from a new report on presidential health from the consumer health site MedicareSupplement.com. Based on interviews with 27 historians and doctors, the report revealed William Taft gobbled up 12-ounce steaks for breakfast, Ronald Reagan tried to swap cigarettes for jelly beans, and Grover Cleveland — whose nickname was “Uncle Jumbo” — avoided exercise at all costs. 

The analysis also reads like a history of disease trends in the US. Despite access to the best health care in the world, presidents often succumbed to the scourges of their time. George Washington died of pneumonia, James Monroe of tuberculosis, and James Polk of cholera — all infectious diseases that are rarely deadly in the US today.