Donald Trump’s hands have taken on a life of their own since at least the 1980s, when former Vanity Fair editor Graydon Carter dubbed him a “short-fingered vulgarian” in Spy magazine. “To this day, I receive the occasional envelope from Trump,” Carter wrote in a 2015 piece for Vanity Fair. Whether he likes it or not, the president’s hands never go unnoticed. In recent appearances, social media users noticed he has been wearing concealer on his hand that gives Kimberly Guilfoyle and her cakey makeup a run for their money.
Advertisement
Some have speculated that Trump is trying to hide a bruise he’s seemingly had for months. In February, the president’s purple hand raised concerns during a visit with then-French President Emmanuel Macron, but the White House dismissed it as a strong case of hard work. “President Trump is a man of the people,” press secretary Karoline Leavitt said (via NBC News). “His commitment is unwavering, and he proves that every single day.”
A consequence of that is, apparently, an injured hand. “President Trump has bruises on his hand because he’s constantly working and shaking hands all day every day,” Leavitt explained. Speculation intensified when Trump appeared with a bruised hand in April and then again in June. But the New York Post’s Miranda Devine claimed said bruises are his battle scars. “He will endure constant bruises on the back of his hands from well-wishers showing their gratitude with vigorous handshakes,” she penned. However, Trump seems eager to hide those signs of his generosity.
Advertisement
Netizens speculate that Donald Trump may have health problems
Unsurprisingly, few people believed the theory that Donald Trump’s constant bruised hand is due to his intense hand-shaking schedule. Trump has proven he isn’t above changing his makeup routine to fit his needs, so adding in his hand may have caused him no trouble. But it certainly didn’t go unnoticed. Social media users flocked to X to speculate about what might be going on. “Why is Donald Trump covering bruises on his hands with cake makeup and why isn’t anyone in the press asking him about it?” one asked.
Advertisement
There was no shortage of hypotheses. “He’s getting iv therapy for some kind of disease!” another user wrote in response. Doctors have previously confirmed that the bruise is consistent with an intravenous needle. “The most likely thought is this could well be bruising from a recent [cannula] from the way it appears,” men’s health specialist Dr. Jeff Foster told The Standard in February. The theories of this potential illness ranged from common old-age ailments like heart failure to the more salacious possibility of syphilis.
However, many argued that Trump’s hand is significant because of the weight conservatives put on Joe Biden’s health during his term. “The same people who can’t stop talking about Biden’s health won’t ask Trump why this keeps happening,” attorney and social media personality Ron Filipkowski tweeted in June. Trump’s probably fuming about all this speculation about his hands. But hey, at least no one is talking about his stubby fingers.
Advertisement
