The massive bruise on President Donald Trump’s right hand has returned.
The pronounced mark on the president’s dominant hand was first noticed in the Spring of 2024, during his Manhattan court battle against former porn star Stormy Daniels.
It has been spotted several times since. It was most pronounced in February after what the White House claimed was a grueling schedule of hand-shaking, following a summit with French President Emmanuel Macron.
In April, it was seen again during a presentation ceremony for the Commander-in-Chief Trophy in Washington, D.C. as Trump clutched a football.
The bruise now appears to have resurfaced. It is visible in shots of the president at Fort Bragg military base in North Carolina, where he denounced L.A. rioters and promised to rename military bases during a Tuesday speech supposed to be about the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army.
On Monday, Trump—who recently stumbled and nearly fell when walking up the steps into Air Force One—spoke at the Invest America Roundtable in the State Dining room at the White House. At one point he lifted his hand, revealing a brownish color permeating around the area under his knuckles.
Also on Monday, Trump sat down with journalist Miranda Devine in the White House library for the maiden episode of the New York Post’s new podcast, called Pod Force One.
The 42-minute interview was released Wednesday morning, with the president talking about everything from the unrest in Los Angeles to his faltering relationship with Elon Musk.
The president, who turns 79 on Saturday, was ranting about his predecessor, Joe Biden, when the bruise first became visible. This time, the mark appeared to be covered in makeup.
In her subsequent column, published Wednesday, Devine mentioned the bruising. “He will endure constant bruises on the back of his hands from well-wishers showing their gratitude with vigorous handshakes that he reciprocates warmly, even though he’s a renowned (maybe reformed) germaphobe,” she wrote.
A doctor said in February, after Trump’s latest handshake showdown with Macron, that all of that “aggressive” squeezing could indeed cause bruising.
Dr Stuart Fischer, an internal medicine physician in New York, told the Daily Mail that age could also be a factor. He also mooted Osteoarthritis, a degenerative disease that breaks down cartilage and bone in the joints.
“I think it’s probably all of those things together,” Fischer said.
The Mayo Clinic says while easy bruising is common with age, it could be a sign of something more nefarious such as a blood-clotting condition or a blood disease.
Before he jetted off to the Pope Army Airfield in Fort Bragg Trump was pictured covering the hand with his left as he sat in the Oval Office and addressed reporters and camera crews.
He was met on the tarmac by Secretary of the Army Daniel Driscoll, who greeted him with a handshake. He also shook the hands of several officials and high-ranking officers, including Army Brigadier General John Cogbill.
Excessive handshaking was the reason given for the president’s brownish-blue hand back in February.
“President 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,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told the Daily Beast after people started to notice the mark.
Leavitt added, in a statement to NBC News, “President Trump has bruises on his hand because he’s constantly working and shaking hands all day every day.”
He gave a similar reason when interviewed by Time magazine for their 2024 Person of the Year issue. He explained that it came from “shaking hands with thousands of people.”
While Biden was the oldest ever president to serve in office, Trump is the oldest to be sworn into office. Trump and his close circle have long attacked Biden’s apparent lack of fitness for office.
Cries of a cover-up of his ailing health intensified after the release of Original Sin, a book by well-connected journalists Jake Tapper and Alex Thompson.
In one damning section of the book, the authors wrote that Joe Biden’s close circle floated the idea of getting the aging politician a wheelchair if he was re-elected as president.
“Biden’s physical deterioration—most apparent in his halting walk—had become so severe that there were internal discussions about putting the president in a wheelchair, but they couldn’t do so until after the election,” it read.
The White House has been contacted for comment on Trump’s hand.
The post Trump, 78, Has Got Another Mystery Bruise on His Hand appeared first on The Daily Beast.
