The White House set out to promote Donald Trump’s so-called “Board of Peace”—but ended up showcasing his makeup-slathered hand instead.
The 79-year-old president’s aides released a video of the inaugural meeting of his board, which he set up to rival the United Nations, on Saturday. But in the opening scene of the 47-second clip, Trump’s attempt to cover up the now trademark bruising on his right hand is unmissable.
In footage from Thursday’s event, Trump’s hand appears smeared with a thick, miscolored layer of beige makeup, with his veins bulging beneath it. Trump, the oldest person to assume the presidency, has frequently appeared to conceal the chronic bruising on his hands by applying heavy foundation or by positioning his hands out of view.
His choice of foundation on Thursday, however, was a tad less glossy than his selection earlier this month during an afternoon news conference, where he stood for long periods with his eyes shut.
Officials have attributed the discoloration to Trump’s daily use of aspirin, a blood thinner, and treatment for chronic venous insufficiency, a condition in which leg veins struggle to push blood back up to the heart.
The White House, which did not immediately respond to the Daily Beast’s request for comment, has repeatedly insisted the unsightly bruises are simply the result of Trump “meeting more Americans and shaking more hands on a daily basis than any other president in history.”
But throughout his second term, the Daily Beast has extensively reported on Trump’s declining health, as the president is seen frequently napping during Cabinet meetings, having mental slip-ups, slurring his words, and suffering from swollen ankles.
Trump himself seemed acutely aware of his age at the Board of Peace meeting, where he offered a somewhat creepy aside about the younger leaders’ youth and appearance.
“It’s always nice to be young and handsome,” Trump said at the meeting.“It doesn’t mean we have to like you. I don’t like young, handsome men. Women—I like. Men, I don’t have any interest.”
The post Trump’s Makeup-Slathered Hand Lands Starring Role in Promo Video appeared first on The Daily Beast.
