Questions have been raised over President Donald Trump’s wellbeing after what looked like a bruise was spotted on the back of his right hand.
Zoomed-in photos of the 78-year-old’s clasped hands during a Monday meeting with French president Emmanuel Macron revealed what appeared to be a makeup-covered bruise.
“President Trump is a man of the people and he meets more Americans and shakes their hands on a daily basis than any other President in history. His commitment is unwavering and he proves that every single day,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told The Independent in a statement.
But others on X speculated about what could have caused the bruising.
Some X users attributed the markings to an IV, others believed he could be on blood thinning medications, and others still thought it could just be from aging.
One X user remarked: “To be fair my grandma also has bruises on her hands at age 79 and has had them for years. It’s just something that happens when you’re old and trump is OLD.”
“He is constantly bruised up. This is karma for him making fun of an aging Joe Biden,” another said.
Some even compared his hand to those of the late Queen Elizabeth II, who died in 2022 aged 96.
One user joked that his ego bruises “easily”: “Trump is a few months shy of being 80 and is technically ‘elderly’…. But that’s not the only reason he has a big bruise on his hand… he’s very thin skinned … susceptible to bruising easily when criticized.” The user added: “It’s also possible he’s on blood thinner medication.”
Another quipped: “Looks like he had one of his handshaking competitions with Macron.”
The world leaders have a history of strange handshakes, or what the commentator Piers Morgan once called “Trump-Macron arm-wrestles.”
Another thought there was a link to the French president’s visit: “That would be Macron’s rap on the knuckles when he told Trump off for lying.”
During the pair’s meeting, Trump claimed that Europe was only “loaning” money to Ukraine in its efforts to fight the war against Russia. But Macron stepped in to correct him. Placing his hand on Trump’s arm, he said: “No, in fact, to be frank, we paid 60 percent of the total effort and it was – like the US – loans, guarantees, grants. We provided real money, to be clear.”
This is far from the first time Trump’s wellbeing has been under scrutiny. The oldest-ever inaugurated president said in August he would “gladly” release his medical records to the public, but never did on the campaign trail.
