Is he merely overweight or flat-out obese? That is the question about the vainglorious Donald. Are we being conned about his BMI because he is super vain? These questions have answers and you can calculate the Trump BMI here to decide for yourself.

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Congress may be facing shutdown over an immigration bill, but what has the country in thrall? Donald Trump's waistline. After his medical the doctors' verdict is he is overweight. However, some intriguing questions have arisen almost immediately.

Is he fat? Well ... the obvious answer is yes. But how fat? To be obese or not to be, that is the question (with apologies to the great bard). The doctors, or whoever thought of the BMI (Body Mass Index), have drawn an arbitrary line, one side of which one is a relatively acceptable 'overweight', but weigh an ounce more and you are 'obese'. What an awful word and definitely unacceptable to the vainglorious Donald.

A word of explanation is in order: The BMI is calculated as weight in kilograms divided by the person's height in meters squared. Thus the issue of height. One can check out Trump's classification here.

Ferreters have unearthed a driver's license recording his height as 6 ft. 2 ins. This has been confirmed because in 2012 Trump himself said he was 74 ins. tall. Then there is a photograph showing him standing next to Barack Obama. They appear to be about the same height and Obama is 6 ft. 1 in. No doubt, people do shrink as they get older -- a question of what happens to the cushioning between vertebrae -- and it's quite possible Mr. Trump has shrunk, but growing an inch! The doctor reports he has 'incredible' genes -- the adjective is certainly familiar -- but growing an inch in height in the seventh decade is not just incredible, it is and would take a miracle.

Of course there is another possibility. Intimidated, perhaps, the nurse was afraid to disturb the carefully manipulated coiffure and that's the cause of the extra height.

Just fat or actually obese, it's all a matter of degree ... and quite arbitrary. For the Donald it means he has to go cheeseburger free -- a fate worse than working for Simon Legree.

Authors Bio:
Arshad M Khan is a former Professor. Educated at King's College London, Oklahoma State University and the University of Chicago, he has a multidisciplinary background that has frequently informed his research. He was elected a Fellow of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers and a Chartered Member of the Institution of Electrical Engineers. He has been a CPA and CMA in the U.S. as well as a Registered Professional Engineer. For many years he has contributed occasionally to the print and electronic media.