US President Donald Trump turns 80 on Sunday and will celebrate the milestone by hosting a Mixed Martial Arts fight outside the White House as he looks to project vim and vigour into his ninth decade.
Mr Trump is already the oldest president to be inaugurated and, assuming he finishes his second term, will become the oldest president in US history.
He still mocks his predecessor Joe Biden about his advanced age and continues to refer to him as Sleepy Joe. But it is Mr Trump's advancing years that are now coming under increasing scrutiny.
Unlike Mr Biden, who maintained a low profile and seldom spoke to the press, Mr Trump has aired much of his presidency in real time and has given reporters unprecedented access to the Oval Office.
The "flood-the-zone” coverage of the President shows a man who appears to be constantly on the move – signing executive orders, addressing supporters or travelling for work and leisure. He is a constant in American political and cultural life and wants to further reshape US norms during his remaining two-and-a-half years in office.
But the public is also watching the years starting to catch up with Mr Trump, whose speech seems to be growing increasingly repetitive and tangential, as is the case for many of us as we age.
At a June 3 hearing in Congress, Democratic Representative Ted Lieu showed videos that he claimed showed Mr Trump dozing off during Cabinet meetings.
Some Democrats have called Mr Trump the "Commander in Sleep” or "Dozy Don”. Mr Lieu asked Secretary of State Marco Rubio if he had seen his boss fall asleep.
"That's false. I've never seen him fall asleep,” Mr Rubio said. "On the contrary, the guy doesn't sleep, which is a big problem because he calls me at two in the morning. He calls me at five in the morning.”
The next day, he appeared to nod off briefly during an Oval Office meeting.
Other members of the Trump administration have praised the President's enviable font of energy, and his apparent lack of sleep is evidenced by late-night or early-morning tirades on Truth Social.
On a recent Saturday, White House communications director Steven Cheung took to social media to declare that Mr Trump "has been working hard at the White House since early this morning. This man is focused and determined.”
Born in 1946, the same year as George W Bush and Bill Clinton, Mr Trump speaks in glowing terms of his own cognitive and physical health, and medical reports released by the White House appear to show him faring well for an octogenarian.
But during his second term in office, Mr Trump has repeatedly appeared with a large bruise on his right hand. His press secretary Karoline Leavitt says this is due to his vigorous handshake, though Mr Trump's right hand also has been photographed with a bruise.
Last month, Mr Trump's doctor said the President was in "excellent health” and had the cardiac health of someone about 14 years younger.
Mr Trump shared a photo of himself on Truth Social with the headline: “President Trump ages in reverse!”
Fight night
The $60 million Ultimate Fighting Championship extravaganza Mr Trump is hosting on the White House South Lawn has seating for up to 4,300 guests after crews erected an arena that looms taller than the White House itself.
The event has drawn criticism for being available only to Paramount+ members, and critics have said the juxtaposition of a UFC fight next to the ruins of the demolished East Wing are an eyesore for Washington just as the US is about to commemorate 250 years of independence.
Ms Leavitt said the UFC event is nothing more than a pastime for Mr Trump, saying “he is a sports guy.”
“The President naturally projects strength every day by leading the strongest country in the history of the world,” she said in a statement.
Mr Trump's big day comes as his approval rating is dropping, posing a conundrum for Republicans hoping to maintain control of the House of Representatives and the Senate in November.
A recent Reuters/Ipsos poll showed that 35 per cent of adults approve of Mr Trump’s performance, compared with 63 per cent who disapprove. Polling shows persistent concern about prices and the cost of living.
“In his second term, the older he gets, the lower his job rating goes. It’s the reverse Benjamin Button,” Democratic pollster Jeff Horwitt of Hart Research told Bloomberg.
“He may be trying to project strength, Americans see weakness and that he’s not delivering on what he promised”.
