A photograph of Donald Trump with a mysterious blue object between his teeth at the US Open has triggered widespread online speculation. The image, captured by photographer Andres Kudacki during the men's final between Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz, shows the president appearing to bite down on a small blue item.
Kudacki described the image as Trump “taking a tablet” in a post on X, but later told The Daily Beast he was unsure about the object. “I don’t know what it was specifically, I said it was a ‘tablet’ as that works for both, a mint or a tablet,” he said. He noted Trump was “very discreet” and did not see him retrieve the object from a container.
Online theories have ranged from blue-coloured mints to medications including Adderall, Viagra, Valium, and the antidepressant Lexapro. Some users asked X's AI bot Grok to identify the object, which suggested possible matches such as clonazepam, alprazolam, or Adderall, but remained uncertain. Others proposed Hygroton, a blue square pill used for high blood pressure.
The speculation follows the White House's confirmation in July that Trump had been diagnosed with chronic venous insufficiency, a condition affecting leg veins. When contacted by The Independent, a White House aide said the object was a mint. During Trump's hush money trial, he was often seen eating mints taken from his suit jacket.
This was Trump's first US Open appearance in 10 years. His presence caused delays due to enhanced security checks, for which the Secret Service apologised. Trump's appearance on the big screen was met with boos and some applause.
