President Donald Trump’s hand was coated in a thick layer of makeup on Friday as he ventured out from the White House amid ongoing health questions.
The president, 79, has used makeup to cover bruising on his right hand on multiple occasions since he retook office.
But its appearance and lack of blending during his Friday stop at The People’s House exhibit down the street from the White House were particularly noticeable.
“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,” said White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt in a statement Friday.
“His commitment is unwavering and he proves that every single day,” she added.
It was a similar line from the White House, which had previously attributed the bruise to the president’s serial handshaking.
Just last night, the president was out in Washington, D.C., shaking hands with law enforcement officials as he stopped by for some pizza amid his crime crackdown on the nation’s capital.
But while the White House has touted its transparency, it has been evasive at times about the president’s health when pressed with questions about his swollen ankles and bruised hand.
Last month, the White House revealed the president had been diagnosed with chronic venous insufficiency (CVI). It’s a common condition in people of the president’s age and, according to Trump’s doctor, one explanation for the bruising.
“Recent photos of the president have shown minor bruising on the back of his hand,” the president’s physician, Sean Barbabella, wrote in a July memo, which Karoline Leavitt read aloud to the press pool. “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 regimen.”
The White House was forthcoming with the diagnosis, but it has not made the president’s doctor available to answer questions, despite initially suggesting that this was a possibility.
Asked again about the chances of speaking with Trump’s doctor last week, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said it was “certainly something we can look into” and claimed there is “nothing to hide.”
It has not shared any treatment plan or even lifestyle changes, such as the use of compression socks, to address his swollen ankles.
“There have been no adjustments made to his lifestyle,” Leavitt said last week.
In April, the president’s physician released results of his annual physical, touting his golfing and declaring Trump to be “in excellent cognitive and physical health.”
The president’s makeup-slathered hand stood out on Friday as he made his way through D.C., but it appeared the president had become self-conscious about it when he gave remarks Friday afternoon at the White House.
Trump largely kept his right hand hidden under his left hand while he had them folded on the desk in front of him that afternoon in the Oval Office. But when the president stood up, the bright makeup stood out against his skin, just as it had earlier in the day.
