President Donald Trump told athletes they were “ripping” his hand up during a White House ceremony—a remark that comes as rumors swirl about mysterious bruising on his hands.
Trump, 79, made the comment after shaking the hands of Louisiana State University baseball player Steven Milam, a 21-year-old shortstop, and Josh Pearson, an ex-LSU outfielder who is 23.
“They’re very strong hands, I’m noticing,” Trump said of Pearson and Milam. “You know, they’re ripping me, they’re ripping my hand up.”
Trump’s hand bruising has appeared on and off throughout his second term, most commonly impacting his right hand. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt has explained the bruising as the result of “frequent handshaking and the use of aspirin,” which she said Trump takes as “part of a standard cardiovascular prevention regime.”
The president is right-handed and used his dominant hand when greeting the ball players at Monday’s ceremony, which honored LSU baseball for winning the national championship last summer. He also honored LSU Shreveport, which went undefeated and won the NAIA title.
Trump has attempted to conceal his bruising with makeup, which often does not match his skin tone, or by simply covering his right hand with his left. Neither of his hands appeared to display any bruising on Monday, and press photographers have not captured any photos that display visible bruising since Oct. 5.
Other health concerns have swirled around Trump in MAGA 2.0, including a diagnosis of chronic venous insufficiency and his appearing to have a droopy face. Observers have also noted that he now has cankles and has struggled to walk in a straight line at times.
No physical issues appeared to plague Trump on Monday. However, critics of the president speculated that he forgot which country he appointed Herschel Walker—the star football player whose senate campaign crashed and burned in 2022, in part due to exclusive Daily Beast reporting about his personal life—to be an ambassador to.
Walker, 63, was confirmed as the U.S. ambassador to the Bahamas on Oct. 7.
“He’s a great person and now he’s going to be… Come on, name the country, Herschel,” Trump said to Walker on Monday, leading some to speculate that he had forgotten the name of the country. “Tough job. That’s a tough job.”
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