President Donald Trump continues to show signs that aging is taking a toll on his body.
The 80-year-old MAGA leader wants the world to view him as an indestructible strongman. Reality has repeatedly shattered that illusion.
New images spread online on nearly a daily basis. His recent nationwide travel schedule made the contusions even more obvious.
Over the past few weeks, Trump visited various states to hold midterm rallies for Republican candidates. The events often featured the president speaking for more than an hour.
Trump flew to Georgia, Kentucky, Kansas, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Iowa over seven days. He is expected to stop in Florida and return to Georgia next.
That schedule would be tough for a senior citizen in their 80s. Add the stress of being U.S. president, and the physical strain increases even more.
Before Trump headed to Iowa on Oct. 22, photographer Aaron Schwartz snapped photographs of the president on the White House’s South Lawn.
Close-up pictures taken at the site showed Trump’s badly discolored hands, which appeared to be covered in skin-toned makeup. The eye-catching photos fueled online speculation.
“The new Congress should investigate Trump’s health problems and get real answers,” demanded one person on Threads.
A second person called out reporters covering the president by posting, “Cool, I wonder if anyone, anyone at all, will ask him about it.”
Similarly, someone wondered, “Why did they stop asking him about it? Especially since it’s on his non-shaking hand.”
Other commenters had a mocking tone in their reactions. For instance, one account joked, “He does his own makeup. He needs lessons!”
The conversation played out on X as well. A concerned poster tweeted, “OMG, this is elderly abuse. Trump needs to resign or the 25th Amendment.”
“It’s a level of health care most people will never experience. We pay for his healthcare, which is enabling him to destroy the US. Unbelievable,” an X user complained.
Another tweet read, “We will never get the truth about what is going on with him medically. It’s not like we don’t have eyes and can’t see these things. Someone needs to tell the truth.”
Trump and members of his staff have addressed the bruising in the past. Early sightings of the discoloration did draw attention from the press.
“It’s from shaking hands with thousands of people,” Trump told Time in December 2024 for the news magazine’s “Person of the Year” edition.
By July 2025, Physician to the President Capt. Sean P. Barbabella backed up Trump’s explanation for the bruised hands. He addressed the issue in a released health update.
“Additionally, recent photos of the President have shown minor bruising on the back of his hand,” the doctor wrote.
He resumed, “This is consistent with minor soft tissue irritation from frequent handshaking and the use of aspirin, which is taken as part of a standard cardiovascular prevention regimen. This is a well-known and benign side effect of aspirin therapy.”
The White House also revealed Trump’s chronic venous insufficiency diagnosis in July 2025. The medical condition can cause varicose veins, swelling in the lower limbs, and skin discoloration.
Trump’s bruised hands became just one example of the commander in chief possibly experiencing declining health. His swollen ankles, televised daytime naps, and extremely short temper fuel concern that his body and mind have broken down.
More recently, footage of the MAGA chief walking to the Marine One helicopter at the White House sent shock waves across social media. Trump was on his way to a Kansas rally.
At one point, the president halted his stroll to wave multiple times at an empty lawn. That strange action further intensified whispers about whether Trump is fit for office.
View on Threads
