President Donald Trump had to heap on foundation to cover the ugly bruise on his right hand during a campaign event.
Trump, 80, was at the Pinnacle Bank Expo Center in Grand Island, Nebraska, on Monday to drum up support ahead of the midterm elections on Nov. 3.
Trump walked out to Lee Greenwood’s 1984 patriotic anthem “God Bless the U.S.A.,” danced a bit, and pointed indiscriminately into the crowd during the awkwardly long preamble to his address, packed with the usual bluster from the president.
As the tune crescendoed, Trump sang the last note, tapped his leg a few times, then headed for the podium.
When he arrived there, a close-up shot by a Getty photographer revealed how far Trump had gone to cover up the marks on his hand.
Kent Nishimura’s photograph showed a thick slathering of foundation covering the top of Trump’s reddening hand, with crusted bits off to the side and prominent, bulging veins also visible.
Trump also slapped concealer on top of his bruised hand before stepping out to welcome Chinese President Xi Jinping, 73, for an arrival ceremony at the White House last month.
Trump had raised eyebrows by donning black gloves when he welcomed Xi at Joint Base Andrews a day earlier. Both of Trump’s hands were covered as he stood next to Xi during a military flyover, further fueling speculation about the state of his health.
Trump and his mouthpieces have claimed the bruising on his 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.
However, the handshake defense lost credibility after the right-handed president’s left hand began showing discoloration as well.
Trump, the oldest person to be inaugurated U.S. president, has sparked concerns over his health thanks to his chronically bruised hands, swollen ankles, mental flubs, and public bouts of drowsiness. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on this story.
Fresh questions about Trump’s health arose during the Chinese state visit after clips captured him wincing during the military flyover—all while Xi stood unbothered. Trump ducked and bared his teeth as Xi looked unfazed.
That followed concern earlier in September when the right side of the commander-in-chief’s face drooped significantly as he sat on stage at the Pentagon during the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks memorial service, where he also once again appeared to struggle to stay awake.
He had another bout of daytime sleepiness in the Oval Office during an event last week to announce a new $15 billion steel plant being built in eastern Iowa.
Trump ironically needled his predecessor, “Sleepy Joe Biden,” before appearing to nod off himself.
