President Donald Trump used poorly matched makeup to cover the recurring bruise on his hand for his meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Trump, 79, unveiled a new plan for ending the war in Gaza and achieving “peace in the Middle East” Monday, after holding talks with Netanyahu, 75, behind closed doors at the White House.
During their joint press conference, where Trump mispronounced a common biblical name and incorrectly remembered when his first presidential term began, a photographer zoomed in on his right hand, which has sported a dark mark for months.
Trump had once again slathered beige makeup across the back of the hand, though the cosmetic layer appeared particularly off in tone this time, clashing visibly with his natural complexion.
The Daily Beast has reached out to the White House for comment on the photo.
The president has been dabbling in a rotating palette of shades and shine levels to try to cover up the purple bruise, which the White House insists is just “minor soft issue irritation” caused by “frequent handshaking and the use of aspirin, which is taken as part of a standard cardiovascular prevention regime.”
Still, Trump has gone to lengths to hide the bruise, whether by dabbing on makeup, clasping it with his left hand, or tucking his hands under the table, further fueling speculation around his health.
The oldest person ever inaugurated as president, Trump is frequently seen with swollen ankles—having been diagnosed with chronic venous insufficiency, a condition common in seniors in which blood pools in the legs due to poor circulation.
He also regularly suffers mental lapses, including during his rambling announcement Monday of the 21-point Gaza peace plan he has proposed.
Trump, sounding tired, jumbled words as he tried to credit a number of Arab nations and leaders for their support in developing the proposal.
“I want to just say that my meetings and dialogue that we had with so many countries, Saudi Arabia as an example, the king is a phenomenal person, the Emir of Qatar, who’s an incredible person. UAE, and that’s NBC and ABC, were totally involved,” said Trump. “These are the people that we’ve been dealing with that have been actually very much involved in this negotiation giving us ideas.”
As Trump’s incoherent rambles and gaffes have mounted, psychologist Dr. John Gartner told The Daily Beast Podcast’s Joanna Coles he believes the president has dementia and is undergoing a “major deterioration” of his language skills, motor skills, and impulse control.
Meanwhile, health challenges facing seniors appear to be on Trump’s own mind. On Sunday, he shared a video on Truth Social promoting medical cannabis for seniors who “struggle with pain, inflammation, cognitive decline, and other ailments of aging.”
The White House has often used a statement from MAGA loyalist and disgraced doctor Rep. Ronny Jackson to push back on concerns about Trump’s health.
“President Donald J. Trump is the healthiest president this nation has ever seen,” Jackson’s statement reads. “I continue to consult with his current physician and medical team at the White House and still spend significant time with the President. He is mentally and physically sharper than ever before.”
