Donald Trump slathered his hand in makeup for his big UFC birthday party.
The 80-year-old president sat ringside in the temporary octagon arena on the South Lawn of the White House Sunday to watch Sunday night’s mixed martial arts bouts.
But despite not doing any of the punching himself, his hands appeared to have taken a brutal beating, with multiple images from the event showing discoloration and a thick layer of concealer.
Trump was front and center during the glitzy night, filled with bright lights, loud music, and patriotic tropes. It even saw the president adorned with a chain by 28-year-old heavyweight fighter Josh Hokit, who leaned out of the octagon after his win and shook Trump’s hand.
Moments later, Hokit held the microphone from podcaster and UFC commentator Joe Rogan to give a shout-out to Trump and deliver a vile slur against a former first lady, saying, “And lastly, Michelle Obama is a man! Am I right, America?”
Trump’s team has often claimed that his discolored hands come from his busy handshaking schedule.
In a statement to the Daily Beast following a sighting of his painted mitt at a Cabinet meeting in late May, White House spokesperson Davis Ingle said, “President Trump is the sharpest, most accessible, and energetic president in American history.
“The President 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. President Trump’s commitment is unwavering and he proves that every single day.”
However, that argument has crumbled before the White House’s eyes after the right-handed president’s left hand was previously spotted with the same greasy makeup smear. His intensive aspirin regimen has also been pointed to as a possible contributor.
Just two days before the Cabinet meeting, he was seen with the same bruising on Memorial Day at Arlington Cemetery
Shortly afterward, he attended Walter Reed Military Medical Center for the third time in 13 months, where doctors said he was in “perfect health” but noted he had put on 14 pounds since spring last year and his heart rate had risen by 11 bpm.
But despite all the spin and insistence from White House staff that there is nothing to see, Trump’s hands remain ever-visible, slathered in makeup to cover the discoloration.
“Trump’s hand this evening at the UFC fight,” said political commentator Brian Krassenstein, posting an image of the president’s poorly paw at Sunday’s UFC event.
“Totally normal… if you are one of the fighters who just completed 3 rounds.”
Independent journalist Aaron Rupar echoed the sentiment in two separate posts, both with pictures, saying in one, “the back of Trump’s hand is extremely discolored tonight at the UFC White House event.” In the second, he simply wrote “yikes.”
The Daily Beast has contacted the White House for comment.
