The red rash that suddenly appeared on Trump’s neck has stunned late-night host Jimmy Kimmel.
Trump, 79, has faced constant concerns over his physical and cognitive health throughout his second term. The Daily Beast has meticulously covered the bruising on Trump’s hands and the swelling in his ankles, as well as his mysterious MRIs and the cognitive exams he’s had to take.
Concerns over Trump’s health grew stronger when he was spotted with a painful-looking rash on the right side of his neck at a Monday event. The neck rash was accompanied by bruises on his hand.
Trump’s physician, Dr. Sean Barbabella, addressed the rash on Monday in a vague statement: “President Trump is using a very common cream on the right side of his neck, which is a preventative skin treatment, prescribed by the White House Doctor.”
Barbabella continued, “The President is using this treatment for one week, and the redness is expected to last for a few weeks.”
For Kimmel, this explanation raised more questions than answers.
“‘A very common cream.’ If it’s so common, why don’t you tell us what cream it is so we can not put it on our necks?” Kimmel said.
The late-night host described the rash as a “big, red, gross mark” on Trump’s neck.
“One thing we know for sure: it’s not a hickey from Melania,” Kimmel joked.
He added, “It’s probably a vampire bite from Rudy Giuliani.”
On Tuesday the redness on Trump’s neck had seemingly vanished, even though the White House’s statement said that the rash could last weeks.
Trump apparently had makeup applied to his neck to hide the bruise, which Kimmel mocked further in his Tuesday monologue.
“Today, he added a thick layer of paint,” Kimmel said, “adding yet another swatch to his never-ending color palette.”
Dr. Vin Gupta, a medical analyst for MS NOW, criticized the White House’s lack of transparency around Trump’s new rash.
“Instead of acknowledging he might have a pre-cancerous skin condition, they dance around the issue,” he said. “Trying to fool the public just makes it worse.”
When the Daily Beast reached out to the White House for comment, they shared a statement from Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt criticizing the “armchair” speculation around Trump’s health.
“Any so-called medical professionals engaging in armchair diagnosis or false speculation for political purposes are clearly breaking the Hippocratic Oath they’ve sworn to,” she said.
Leavitt added, “These are false and slanderous allegations from ‘doctors’ who are unethically speculating on health matters they have no insight into.”
Trump’s health aside, Kimmel complained that Trump’s rash simply looked unpleasant.
He joked further in his monologue, “Every day, our president looks more like Pizza the Hut from Spaceballs."
