Trump’s bruised hands appear swollen at White House event

President Donald Trump’s bruised hands attracted fresh attention during a White House event on Wednesday, where they appeared both discolored and swollen. The 79-year-old president attended the event with first lady Melania Trump to honor military mothers ahead of Mother’s Day.

During the appearance, both of Trump’s hands appeared to be covered with mismatched concealer, drawing renewed focus to questions about his health. Trump has had a visible bruise on his right hand for at least a year. More recently, observers have also noticed makeup on his left hand, which had previously appeared less affected.

Photos from Wednesday’s event showed what looked like two different shades of concealer covering marks on his hands, though neither appeared to match his skin tone closely. The condition of Trump’s hands has become a recurring topic, especially as it has coincided with other public concerns, including moments of apparent drowsiness, verbal mistakes and reports of swollen ankles.

When asked for comment, the White House defended the president and dismissed concerns about his energy and fitness. A spokesperson said Trump is “the sharpest, most accessible, and energetic president in American history.”

White House spokesperson Davis Ingle also repeated a previous explanation for the bruising, linking it to the president’s frequent handshaking.

“The president 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. President Trump’s commitment is unwavering and he proves that every single day,” Ingle said.

In the past, the White House has also said Trump’s bruising may be connected to his high-dose aspirin regimen. Last week, his left hand also appeared to have been treated with concealer when he welcomed King Charles and Queen Camilla to Washington, D.C.

Despite the renewed attention on his appearance, Trump seemed upbeat during the early Mother’s Day event. He praised Melania’s role as first lady and as a mother to their son, Barron Trump.

“She’s done an incredible job as first lady, and she’s an incredible mom. She has a little boy who’s quite tall,” he said, referring to their 19-year-old son Barron. “He’s great, and she takes great care of him. Thank you—great mom.”

Trump also shared an unusual story about struggling to type Melania’s name because, he said, autocorrect kept changing it.

“Every time I wrote ‘Melania,’ it would word-correct to ‘Melody.’ Sometimes I wouldn’t proofread it, and I would get absolutely decimated,” he said. “They said, ‘He didn’t know the name of his wife!’ I said, ‘What the hell is wrong with this machine?’ You know who corrected it? The military. I said, ‘Come here, you gotta correct this. You’re killing me.’”