Donald Trump has made something of a habit of reaching for the cover-up.
The president and his team work overtime to distract the public from what people see with their own two eyes.
Growing concerns about Trumpâs health continue following a string of moments viewers say are becoming harder to ignore.
But recent photos show he is not the only senior citizen in the White House with hands that look like something is seriously wrong.
The president regularly slathers his right hand in flesh-toned makeup in an attempt to hide persistent bruising from public view.
Trump and his Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. appeared together at a recent White House announcement in a clip from Monday, May 18.
Viewers werenât focused on policy at all â they were focused on an obvious comparison of the two men’s health.
The meeting referred to some 600 generic drugs that are being added to the offerings in the TrumpRx online drugstore.
Cameras captured Trump appearing to have heavily covered the back of his right hand with flesh-colored makeup.
Social media users immediately zoomed in on the presidentâs now-familiar bruising next to Kennedy’s.
View on Threads
Some became even more distracted by RFK Jr.’s alarming-looking hands next to Trump’s.
The HHS secretaryâs hands appeared extremely red, textured, and inflamed in the tightly cropped photographs circulating online.
The images prompted a flood of crude commentary across Threads.
âJfc. RFK Jrâs beef jerky looking hand might by worse than Trump,â one Threads user wrote. Another person posted, âRFK’s hand looks like those rotting 7-11 hot dogs.â
“They both look as if they were held over an open flame,” a third person joked.
And another critic bluntly added, âOmg, Bobby Brainwormâs hand is just as bad!”
The viral reaction comes as Kennedy has also faced increasing scrutiny over his own health and public appearances in recent months.
In April, Kennedy drew attention during a Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee hearing when viewers became concerned about his strained breathing, coughing, and raspy voice during testimony.
The 72-year-old has long suffered from spasmodic dysphonia, a neurological condition affecting the vocal cords that causes a strained, shaky speaking voice. Kennedy previously revealed that he receives Botox injections every few months to help manage the disorder.
Still, his recent public appearances have continued generating headlines for all the wrong reasons. Beyond his vocal struggles, Kennedy has repeatedly gone viral over bizarre stories and offbeat comments, including resurfaced anecdotes involving a dead raccoon and a so-called âcocaine toiletâ story that critics mocked relentlessly online.
The close-up images also reignited months of conversation surrounding Trumpâs health and appearance.
This is actually not new for the president. Critics have often noted that the 79-year-old president has repeatedly appeared in public with dark bruises, swelling, and discoloration on his hands.
At the World Economic Forum in January 2026, Trump appeared with a large purple bruise on his left hand while attending a signing ceremony in Davos, Switzerland.
At the time, White House officials blamed the injury on Trump bumping his hand on a table. He blamed his longtime aspirin use for the bruising.
The former reality star himself later acknowledged using cream to cover the mark.
Months later, the issue resurfaced during Motherâs Day weekend when cameras followed Trump walking across the White House lawn toward Marine One before heading to his golf club in Sterling, Virginia.
Critics online dissected everything from his gait to his appearance. Many claimed to notice his hands swollen and fragile.
The issue has become such a recurring talking point that late-night comedians have started building entire segments around it.
Jimmy Kimmel mocked Trumpâs bruised hands in a fake âexclusive interviewâ sketch that quickly turned into a brutal roast about the presidentâs health and appearance.
Instead of interviewing Trump, Kimmel featured Trumpâs bruised hand as the special guest.
He joked about covering bruises with âfoundationâ that turned out to be spray cheese. The segment exploded online as viewers once again fixated on Trumpâs swollen, discolored hands.
Trumpâs recurring hand bruising has become harder to ignore because it clashes with the tough image he tries to project.
While experts say bruising can come from aging, aspirin use, or minor injuries, critics remain skeptical as the marks keep returning despite White House explanations.
Now, with RFK Jr. standing beside him, displaying his own concerning appearance, some critics say the administrationâs health optics problem just doubled.
