(Photo credit: Gage Skidmore)
Photos of Donald Trump’s hand went viral over the weekend, setting off a storm of speculation that the president may be using makeup to conceal bruising. The images, which quickly circulated across social media, prompted both jokes and serious questions from political analysts, reporters, and Trump critics.
Observers claimed the photos were “breaking the internet,” with many pointing to what appeared to be discoloration covered by cosmetic products. Critics accused mainstream media of ignoring the incident while, they argued, similar images of Joe Biden would have triggered wall-to-wall coverage.
On X, a user who goes by scary lawyerguy wrote, “The lack of curiosity in the media at this is telling. Some random excuse given by his doctor and then no follow up by the armchair neurologists in the press who swore Biden had dementia.”
Another commentator, @LePapillonBlu2, simply asked, “WTF is happening here?” Veteran White House reporter Brian J. Karem offered his own blunt assessment: “He’s melting.”
Conservative attorney and longtime Trump critic George Conway also weighed in with sarcasm. “Hello I have an important question for all the physicians and cosmetologists on this website namely WTAF???” he wrote. Conway even asked Elon Musk’s AI chatbot, Grok, for its opinion, adding he’d be “curious to hear [its] take as well.”
Mike Madrid, a conservative strategist and anti-Trump activist, added more fuel to the fire with a pointed question: “What disease is so bad you cover it with spackle?”
Political strategist Chris D. Jackson suggested the explanation was medical, alleging, “This was Trump’s hand yesterday—IV wounds covered up with makeup.” He went on to criticize what he viewed as a media double standard: “If this were Joe Biden, clowns like [CNN’s Jake Tapper] would make it BREAKING NEWS. But with Trump? Silence. His physical and mental decline is obvious, and the media still looks the other way. Total failure.”
While the true explanation behind the photos remains unclear, the frenzy underscores the intense scrutiny surrounding the 78-year-old president as he continues his 2024 campaign. For critics, the viral moment served as another opportunity to raise questions about Trump’s health and transparency, while supporters largely dismissed the speculation as yet another manufactured controversy.
