Trump, 79, Tries to Hide His Seriously Bruised Hand in Oval Office

President Donald Trump signed the stopgap spending bill to end a record-breaking 43-day government shutdown while appearing to conceal a recurring bruise on his right hand.

The House passed the measure 222 to 209 on Wednesday, following the Senate’s razor-thin approval two days before. Signing the bill in the Oval Office a few hours later, Trump called the shutdown “very painful,” and said the government would now “resume normal operations” after “people were hurt so badly.”

As cameras clicked, the president kept his right hand partially tucked under the desk or hidden behind the folder containing the bill.

Another trick to obscure his harsh bruising to his right hand is to sit with his left hand placed over the top of his right. He deployed this tactic throughout the press conference on Wednesday. At other times Trump waved his hand freely or sat with it exposed, allowing photographers to capture his bruise.

Trump deployed another trick, too. He pretended to field questions after the bill signing, before rambling for a minute and slipping out before facing a grilling over the latest mutation in the Jeffrey Epstein saga—a batch of Epstein emails that were released on Wednesday by the House Oversight Committee.

The 79-year-old ditched the make-up this time, opting not to slather the bruise in foundation, which has become customary of late. The caked layer of make-up was most recently spotted as Trump was handed a framed Washington Commanders jersey by the NFL team’s owner, Josh Harris, earlier this week.

WASHINGTON, DC - NOVEMBER 12: U.S. President Donald Trump signs funding legislation to reopen the federal government as he is joined by House Minority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA), House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), Republican lawmakers and business leaders, during a ceremony in the Oval Office of the White House on November 12, 2025, in Washington, DC. The legislation, passed by the House of Representatives tonight, funds the federal government until the end of January 2026 and ends the 43-day government shutdown, the longest in the nation’s history. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images) — Trump’s bruise was visible as he signed the stopgap bill. Win McNamee/Getty Images

Trump was at Northwest Stadium in Maryland for the Washington Commanders’ 22-44 loss to the Detroit Lions, making him the first sitting president in nearly 50 years to attend a regular-season game. The conspicuous layer of make-up was seen as he posed with his jersey, his sullied right hand clutching the edge of the frame.

However, the patch-up job isn’t new. The same hand had been spotted looking heavily covered at a Mar-a-Lago dinner hours earlier, fueling speculation about a persistent purple mark that has lingered for months.

Trump has been seen repeatedly trying to conceal it—clasping his hands, hiding it beneath the podium, or using makeup to mask the bruise. The White House has brushed off concerns. “This is consistent with minor soft tissue irritation from frequent handshaking and the use of aspirin, which is taken as part of a standard cardiovascular prevention regime,” press secretary Karoline Leavitt previously told the Daily Beast.

US President Donald Trump (C) speaks while signing the bill package to re-open the federal government in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, on November 12, 2025. Congress on Wednesday ended the longest government shutdown in US history, 43 days that paralyzed Washington and left hundreds of thousands of workers unpaid while Republicans and Democrats played a high-stakes blame game. The Republican-led House of Representatives voted largely along party lines to approve a Senate-passed package that will reopen federal departments and agencies, as many Democrats fume over what they see as a capitulation by party leaders. (Photo by Brendan SMIALOWSKI / AFP) (Photo by BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images) — Trump avoided an Epstein grilling after the bill signing. BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images

The president has faced growing scrutiny over his health after appearing unsteady in public. Back in August, his walk came into question after he rolled out the red carpet for Russian President Vladimir Putin during a visit to Alaska. Trump was recorded veering from left to right as he walked on the carpet, unable to stay in its center, before reaching a set meeting point. Trump then stood and clapped as his Russian counterpart, 72, approached him at Joint Base Elmendorf in Anchorage.

A similar walk has been noted several times since. “You must be f—–g blind or stupid, because that was a perfect walk,” White House communications boss Steven Cheung told the Daily Beast after the White House was quizzed on another wobbly gait in September, ahead of Trump’s British state visit.

A string of mental gaffes, too, have caught the attention. The latest came when Trump was showing off his tacky White House renovations to Fox News host Laura Ingraham. Pointing to a sign he had added to his Presidential Walk of Fame, the president began rambling and contradicting himself.

“Take a look at this if you want to see detail,” Trump said. “Most people do a sign and paint it on the wall. So that’s half-inch thick bronze. Carved by a very talented person. And it’s brass. It’s pure brass.”

While brass and bronze are both copper alloys, they are not the same thing.

The California governor—and committed Trump troll—Gavin Newsom was quick to weigh in on the president’s curious comments. “Bronze. Brass. Brain damage. Trump’s holy trinity,” Newsom wrote on X, sharing video of the Fox footage on his Press Office account.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

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