Fresh photos of Donald Trump's right hand, described as "mangled," have gone viral on social media, reigniting speculation about the 80-year-old US President's health. The images were taken during a public appearance on Wednesday as he signed a piece of stone near the White House helipad construction site on the South Lawn in Washington, DC.
The landing pad is intended to allow the new Lockheed Martin Corp. VH-92 helicopter, designed to carry the president, to land without damaging the grass. However, attention quickly shifted from the construction work to Trump's hands after a close-up photograph was posted to X (formerly Twitter) by journalist Aaron Rupar.
Viral photograph drives online theories
Sharing the photograph, Rupar wrote: "Trump's mangled hand as photographed today at the White House." The post went viral within minutes, prompting internet users to offer their own medical diagnoses. One X user asked: "Any doctors out there wanna weigh in on the brittle, discoloured (?) nail & the possible break in skin here?"
Another commenter wrote: "His hand is morphing into some sorta lizard," while a third added: "That hand looks like it spent the afternoon getting slammed in a car door." A fourth user remarked: "Between that hand and the beaver he’s got on top of his head, he looks like hell."
History of hand scrutiny
This is not the first time the President's appearance has come under scrutiny, as onlookers regularly dissect zoomed-in photographs of his hands. In January, Trump addressed a previous dark mark on the back of his hand, claiming he "clipped it" on a table during a trip to Switzerland.
The US President has also previously attributed bruising to his hands to blood-thinning medication. Commenting on the prescription, Trump said: "I would say, take aspirin if you like your heart, but don't take aspirin if you don't want to have a little bruising." He added: "I take the larger one. But I've done it for years, and what it does do is it causes bruising."
Despite the White House previously insisting that minor marks are down to frequent handshaking and simple bumps, the latest social media frenzy shows people are still searching for answers.
