Donald Trump’s gnarly right hand was on display Monday at two White House events, with his makeup doing its best to conceal persistent bruising.
The 80-year-old president’s first public appearance of the day was on the South Lawn, where he discussed the construction of his latest vanity project, a helipad, and acknowledged that his ballroom “is so much a military component” of the White House that it will have “bomb shelters.”
Trump spoke for more than 20 minutes, at times bragging about his renovation skills and how he’s “very good at flagpoles.” His bruised hand also appeared to be discolored and swollen.
Trump suffers from chronic venous insufficiency, a common condition in older people that makes it more difficult for blood to return to the heart from the lower extremities, the White House revealed last July. Swelling in the lower legs and ankles is one symptom Trump has often shown.
Trump acknowledged that he once tried compression socks, but didn’t like them. Instead, he said he has tried to avoid sitting for long periods.
Later on Wednesday, Trump’s makeup-slathered hand was visible during a press conference in the Roosevelt Room with cryptocurrency and financial executives.
In addition to hyping up his relationship with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un, with whom he has reportedly been trying to meet once again, Trump indicated his support for data centers, even as the artificial intelligence-fueling power plants face nationwide blowback in part due to environmental and quality-of-life consequences.
Trump’s “discolored” right hand—captured in a close-up by Reuters—raised eyebrows online.
The White House has claimed the bruising on Trump’s hand is due to frequent handshaking and his aspirin dosage, which has been a higher-than-recommended amount—325 milligrams daily—for the last 25 years.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but has previously claimed that 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.”
“I’m a little superstitious,” Trump told The Wall Street Journal in January. “They say aspirin is good for thinning out the blood, and I don’t want thick blood pouring through my heart. I want nice, thin blood pouring through my heart. Does that make sense?”
To compensate, Trump said he takes “about 10 seconds” to apply makeup.
The Daily Beast has been chronicling Trump’s ailments throughout his second term, as well as his tendency to close his eyes for extended periods of time during midday meetings.
