The cameras were trained on President Donald Trump Sunday as he watched golfers compete at his resort in Ireland. But it wasn’t the tournament that drew attention.
Instead, a conspicuous patch of beige makeup caked across the back of Trump’s right hand turned heads, covering much of the area where scaly discoloration has appeared in previous photos.
The latest close-up image has sparked new scrutiny about Trump’s health, coming two days after his face appeared to droop to one side as he struggled to keep his eyes open during a 9/11 memorial service at the Pentagon. The issue with his hands added another visible detail to the ongoing questions about Trump’s physical condition.
Trump was attending the Amgen Irish Open at Trump International Golf Links & Hotel in Doonbeg, County Clare, when his blemished hand became noticeable. The makeup appeared to be closer to his natural skin tone than in past photographs, but the large smear remained visible against the rest of his hand.
Purple and reddish discoloration appeared around the edges of the covered area, while Trump’s hand also appeared somewhat swollen, according to the Daily Beast.
In July 2025, then-White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the bruising was consistent with “minor soft-tissue irritation from frequent handshaking and the use of aspirin.”
That explanation has continued to draw attention because discoloration has appeared on both of Trump’s hands at different times. A Getty photograph taken during an Oval Office signing ceremony in July showed what appeared to be skin-tone makeup covering an area on his left hand, after similar marks had been seen on his right.
The repeated appearance of covered bruising prompted some blunt reactions online. One person questioned why the mark continued to appear, writing, “Why is it always “bruised?'” I’ve injured my hands and had horrific bruises, but they go away within a week. This is constant.”
Another person asked, “Why doesn’t this ‘bruise’ ever heal?” One observer added: “Yikes.” And another commenter wrote, “It’s getting worse…”
The hand images are not the only physical feature that has drawn attention to Trump in recent months.
The White House disclosed in July 2025 that doctors diagnosed Trump with chronic venous insufficiency, a condition that can cause swelling in the lower legs. At the time, the White House described the condition as common in older people and said testing had ruled out several more serious conditions.
Photographers have also repeatedly captured Trump’s swollen ankles, while videos and images have fueled public discussion about his movements, speech and alertness. Those observations have fueled speculation about possible neurological problems, but photographs and video alone cannot establish a medical diagnosis.
That distinction has become particularly important after Friday’s 9/11 ceremony.
Trump sat beside First Lady Melania Trump at the Pentagon as officials read the names of the 184 people killed in the 2001 attack. During the ceremony, observers noticed the right side of his face sagging. Photographers captured similar drooping on the same side of his face at a 9/11 event a year earlier.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment about Sunday’s hand photographs. It has previously rejected or pushed back on speculation about Trump’s health, including speculation surrounding his appearance at the Pentagon.
Other recent episodes have added to the discussion.
At an August appearance at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, Trump briefly paused while speaking and appeared to make a series of irregular movements with his arms and body. The footage prompted speculation and analysis by a clinical and forensic psychologist, who suggested the movements could be consistent with a possible focal aware seizure.
The same caution applies to renewed speculation that Trump may have suffered a stroke after his appearance at a 9/11 ceremony. A Washington State University professor previously argued that some of Trump’s physical and speech-related changes were consistent with a past stroke. However, no public medical record or statement from Trump’s doctors has confirmed that he suffered one.
