Trump illness: Speculation US President wearing 'makeup' to 'cover up bruised hands' during announcement - amid health rumours
President Donald Trump still had a bruised hand during his first public appearance in about a week- swirling more speculation about his health.
Trump seemed to be in good health as he made an announcement on Tuesday 2 September that the U.S. Space Command headquarters would move from Colorado to Alabama. It was the president’s first appearance since an empty schedule over Labor Day weekend.
However, questions were still raised online about his bruised hands. Trump has frequently worn visible concealer on his right hand to cover up a recurring bruise.
One user wrote on X: “All the makeup in the world can’t cover up Trumps hands everyone knows he’s hiding his bad health.“ However others defended the President. One such user said on X: “I hate to break it to everyone, but the bruises on trumps hands don’t mean anything.
“When you get older your skin thins, so you bruise more easily. It’s not technically a health indicator“. The White House and Trump’s doctor have maintained that the president is in “excellent health” and that the hand bruise he often sports is the result of frequent handshaking and intake of aspirin.
The President not being spotted for days sparked frenzied online rumors about his condition. When asked if he had seen that people were questioning whether he was dead or suffering from a serious health issue, Trump said he hadn’t.
He said: “Well, it’s fake news. It’s so fake. That’s why the media has so little credibility. I knew they were saying, like, ‘Is he OK? How’s he feeling? What’s wrong?”.
“It’s also sort of a longer weekend, it’s Labor Day Weekend...No, I was very active this Labor Day weekend.” On Saturday, questions about Trump’s health were among the top Google searches, while “Where is Donald Trump” was trending on X even as he was photographed going to the golf course.
Eagle-eyed theorists also pointed to an interview Vice President J.D. Vance gave last week in which he said he was ready to assume the presidency if a “terrible tragedy occurred.” In the same interview, however, Vance noted that Trump was in “incredibly good health.”
Trump’s health has been under scrutiny for most of his second term, and speculation has continued to grow ever since photos of his swollen ankles and bruised hands began circulating online. White House officials, however, have insisted that the 79-year-old president has chronic venous insufficiency, a condition common amongst older people. The condition occurs when veins in the legs struggle to bring blood to the heart.
In July, that Trump underwent a "comprehensive exam" including vascular testing after experiencing swelling in his legs, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said. Leavitt added that Trump's bruised hand was consistent with "tissue damage from frequent handshaking" while taking aspirin, which she said is "part of a standard cardio-vascular prevention regimen".