President Donald Trump kept his frequently bruised hand carefully out of view as he unveiled his long-awaited healthcare proposal on Thursday.
Trump, 79, announced what he has dubbed the “Great Healthcare Plan” from behind the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office in a pre-recorded video posted by the White House.
The aging president cupped his right hand with his left for the entire length of the five-minute address, in which he claimed that he would “make healthcare affordable again” by “doing things that nobody’s ever been able to do.”
Trump, under pressure to tackle one of Republicans’ biggest vulnerabilities ahead of the midterms, said his proposal is aimed at lowering drug prices and insurance premiums.
Part of the president’s plan, which is light on specifics, would have the federal government send money directly to Americans to purchase their own health care.
Trump’s announcement comes after 17 House GOP rebels joined Democrats in voting for a three-year extension of Obamacare subsidies last week, setting up a showdown in the Senate.
The elderly commander-in-chief, who receives medical care from doctors in the White House Medical Unit, has had a recurring bruise on his right hand for months.
When reached for comment on the bruise, the White House provided the Daily Beast with a statement from Trump’s press secretary, Karoline Leavitt.
“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,” Leavitt said. “His commitment is unwavering and he proves that every single day.”
But Leavitt’s often-used handshake defense lost some credibility in December, when Trump’s left hand began showing discoloration as well.
In a New Year’s Day interview about his medical treatments, Trump told the Wall Street Journal that the large daily dose of aspirin he takes to thin his blood causes his hands to bruise easily.
His doctor, Navy Capt. Sean Barbabella said Trump takes 325 milligrams of aspirin a day—a much larger dose than the usual 81 milligrams—for “cardiac prevention.”
“They’d rather have me take the smaller one,” he said. “I take the larger one, but I’ve done it for years, and what it does do is it causes bruising.”
Trump also admitted to wearing medical compression socks to help with swelling in his ankles, but said he stopped because “I didn’t like them.”
He was diagnosed in July with “chronic venous insufficiency,” a common ailment in older people that makes it more difficult for the blood to travel to the heart from the legs.
Along with Trump’s bruises and cankles, his mysterious MRI, twice-in-a-year “annual” medical checkups, and his frequent mental flubs have raised concerns about the health of the oldest person to ever be inaugurated president.
Reached for comment on the president’s healthcare proposal, White House spokesman Kush Desai told the Daily Beast, “President Trump has outlined his request to Congress to pass the Great American Healthcare Plan that will cut drug prices, lower insurance premiums, hold insurance companies accountable, and increase transparency. This ambitious plan will benefit every single American who uses health care, and captures many overwhelmingly popular healthcare reforms.”
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