Gnarly Photos Of Trump's Bruised Hand Are A Dark Reminder Of His Age

At 78 years and 7 months of age, Donald Trump became the oldest person to assume the U.S. presidency in January 2025. For better or worse, the public anxiously awaited Trump's medical report, released in April 2025. Though the White House doctor deemed Trump to be in "excellent" health, per Reuters, the president raised concerns in late 2024. That's because he was spotted several times with a deep bruise on his hand that seemingly just wouldn't budge.

Trump was quick to deny that the discoloration was a sign of ill health. "It's from shaking hands with thousands of people," he told Time in December 2024. That became the official story. When questions of Trump's aging hands were raised again shortly after he took office, his team weaved it into the narrative surrounding the bruise. "President Trump is a man of the people," Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a February 2025 statement, justifying why he shakes so many hands (via NBC News).

Between February and September 2025, Trump attended several high-profile meetings in which his gnarly hand became one of the main subjects of interest. And that's despite his efforts to hide it underneath copious amounts of makeup. To his credit, his makeup game did become better with time, but the bruise was still very much there. Amid intense speculation, Trump revealed he had been diagnosed with chronic venous insufficiency, a common condition in advanced age that affects blood flow. While he has repeatedly tried to dismiss issues surrounding his health, pictures of his bruised hand stand as stark reminders of his age.

In February 2025, Donald Trump hosted French President Emmanuel Macron at the White House to discuss the war in Ukraine, security concerns in Europe, and trade between the two countries. Unfortunately for the U.S. president, the meeting made headlines for reasons completely unrelated to his foreign policy agenda. After photos of the event were released, the public quickly noticed that Trump had a pretty large bruise on the back of his right hand. It didn't help that he seemingly attempted to cover it with makeup, setting the rumor mill ablaze.

As he carried on his diplomatic responsibilities, Donald Trump continued to try to conceal the bruise. During an April 2025 meeting between him and the president of El Salvador, Nayib Bukele, photographers didn't miss the chance to close in on Trump's hands as he rested them between his legs. The makeup was ever more visible, with its yellow edges contrasting with the rest of his reddish skin. Trump and Bukele met to discuss the diplomatic tangle involving the wrongful deportation of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, but his health once again stole the headlines. 

In May 2025, Donald Trump held a press conference alongside Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to announce his executive order seeking to lower medication costs in the U.S. He stood behind the lectern beside Kennedy, both of whom rested their right hands by their side. Photogs captured their hands in the same frame, highlighting the differences in coloration between the two. Trump's hand, seen above on the left, had the now-infamous yellow patch, which became even more visible in the harsh lighting and beside Kennedy's. 

By August 6, 2025, Donald Trump seemingly hoped that people would stop talking about his bruise if he applied a full inch-thick layer of concealer to the back of his hand. But it did little to nothing in terms of drawing unwanted attention. During a meeting to announce Apple's multi-billion-dollar investment in the U.S., the president was photographed shaking hands with the CEO of the tech giant, Tim Cook, against a dark background. The contrast made the cakey makeup so evident that you could hardly look at anything else.

On August 22, 2025, Donald Trump met with FIFA President Gianni Infantino to reveal that the drawing for the 2026 World Cup, which the U.S. will co-host with Canada and Mexico, was to be held in December 2025. But once again, the public noticed that the bruise on the U.S. president's hand looked pretty much the same as it did all those months earlier. Pictures from the sporting-turned-political event showed that Trump had learned to cover up the bruise a bit better, though the use of concealer was more than obvious.

Just three days after the meeting with Gianni Infantino, Donald Trump hosted South Korean President Lee Jae-myung at the White House for an important discussion amid the country's political instability since the December 2024 martial law crisis, which impacted the U.S. alliance with South Korea. Despite the seriousness of the meetings, it was impossible to avoid noticing Trump's hand. This time, he didn't use any makeup, showing the severity of the bruise. The back of his hand was a deep purple with white patches of scaly skin, igniting renewed concerns for the president's health. 

On September 2, 2025, a week after the talks with the South Korean leader, Donald Trump announced he would move the U.S. Space Command to Alabama from Colorado. It is unclear whether he forgot to put on his hand makeup or regretted the negative attention he received, but Trump was back to covering up the discoloration with a layer of concealer. He also showed that he — or whoever does his makeup — has indeed improved the skills it takes to hide a pretty dark bruise, as the result looked way better than previous attempts.