Social media users are have expressed concern about President Donald Trump’s health after spotting a large bruise on his right hand.
Images of the bruise surfaced after Trump, aged 78, held talks with French President Emmanuel Macron at the White House on Monday to discuss a potential resolution to Russia’s war on Ukraine.
During their meeting in DC, Trump and Macron, aged 47, shared three awkward handshakes, including a 12-second long grip as they greeted each other. The duo, known for their uncomfortable ‘death clasp’ handshakes that have gone viral in the past, later had two more awkward physical interactions.
Concerns have been raised on social media after analyzing videos of the handshakes, with some suggesting that a bruise on Trump’s hand might indicate an underlying health issue the president is dealing with.
Several allege the mark looks like an ‘IV bruise’ and have questioned if Trump was recently ‘dehydrated and given fluids’ or struggling with a ‘vitamin deficiency’.
Some claimed that bruising ‘happens a lot to Trump’, citing how he can been seen with ‘bandages and bruises’ in both recent photographs and images from several years ago.
Others spewed baseless conspiracy theories that the White House is actively ‘hiding’ a potentially ‘serious’ medical condition.
‘What aren’t we being told about his health?’ one X user said of Trump’s bruise, as another asked: ‘Is this why he wouldn’t release his medical records?’
Social media users are have expressed concern about President Donald Trump ‘s health after spotting a large bruise on his right hand. Photos of the bruise emerged after Trump, 78, met with French President Emmanuel Marcon at the White House on Monday
First meeting outside the White House for a press conference yesterday afternoon, the pair gripped onto each other for an excruciating 12 seconds as they reunited and posed for photos
The second awkward encounter took place inside Trump’s Oval Office, when the US President shouted over the French leader and placed his hand on his leg, resulting in Macron turning the physical contact into another handshake
A third uncomfortable shake happened during a news conference, which appeared to show Trump twisting Macron’s arm before they locked fists and faced the audience
Social media users have flooded X with unsubstantiated theories about Trump’s bruise, with the most popular being that it was caused by an IV.
‘I think it kinda looks like an IV bruise. Like he’s been dehydrated and given fluids. Or maybe he’s vitamin deficient?’ one user speculated. ‘But that’s what kind of bruise it looks to be.’
‘It appears to be an IV bruise and it happens a lot to Trump. There are a lot of pics with bandages and bruises,’ another echoed.
One even noted that the bruising ‘always seems to be on the same hand’.
Others suggested that Trump, who is the second-oldest president in US history, may ‘bruise easily’ due to his age.
‘Trump is old and old people bruise easily,’ one tweeted.
‘Trump’s old and his skin is thin and if he bumps up against something then he bruises very easily,’ another wrote, jokingly adding: ‘That’s why he rides the golf cart everywhere he goes cause if he fell he’d look like a giant purple grape.’
Social media users have flooded X with unsubstantiated theories about Trump’s bruise, with the most popular being that it was caused by an IV
Others suggested that Trump’s doctors are lying about him being healthy and have urged officials to release his health records, which are protected under HIPPA medical privacy laws.
‘Trump has a massive bruise on the back of his right hand. How did he get that? Is it from an IV? Did he fall? What aren’t we being told about his health?’ one critic asked.
‘Is Trump hiding a medical condition? Is this why he wouldn’t release his medical records?’ another questioned.
One critic even went as far as to compare his health to that of Queen Elizabeth II in the days before she passed – despite there being no indication from officials that Trump is ill.
‘Queen Elizabeth had similar bruising on her hands when they kept dragging her out to entertain various people in the last week of her life,’ one X user wrote.
‘Glad Getty Images is paying attention to Trump’s health since the doctors around him are claiming he’s the healthiest man in history.’
Another sarcastically joked that ‘Trump’s hand got bruised because he put his tiny hand on Macron’s knee without consent’, referencing one of the awkward encounters he and the French president shared on Monday.
MailOnline has approached the White House for comment about the bruise.
Others spewed baseless conspiracy theories that the White House is actively ‘hiding’ a potentially ‘serious’ medical condition, citing how he can been seen with ‘bandages and bruises’ in both recent photographs and images from several years ago
One critic even went as far as to compare his health to that of Queen Elizabeth II in the days before she passed – despite there being no indication from officials that Trump is ill
The duo’s first awkward handshake occurred as they were meeting for a press conference Monday afternoon.
Trump and Macron gripped onto each other for an excruciating 12 seconds as they reunited outside the White House and posed for photos.
The second awkward encounter took place inside Trump’s Oval Office, when he shouted over the French leader and placed his hand on his leg, resulting in Macron turning the physical contact into another handshake.
Sitting alongside the French president, Trump said Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky would visit the White House this week or next to conclude a deal to share the war-torn country’s natural resources.
Later, the third uncomfortable shake of the day happened during a news conference, which appeared to show Trump oddly twisting Macron’s arm before they locked fists and faced the audience.
Trump seemed in good spirits as he spent the day alongside a smiling Macron, with the pair going viral on social media for their prolonged handshakes – which appear to have become tradition.
Body language expert Judi James referred to the shake outside the White House on Monday as a ‘death clasp’.
‘With the eyes and the fate of the world currently resting on their shoulders,’ James told DailyMail.com, ‘this latest handshake greeting was always going to be riddled with signals of superior power and dominance.’
Monday’s first grab-and-grin was the latest in a long line of elongated shakes between the two leaders, which started eight years prior.
The leaders can be seen posing for pictures while holding on to each other during a prolonged handshake in May 2017
In December 2024, Trump and Macron were filmed during another awkward handshake
Trump and Macron are pictured above during another long handshake in June 2019
Macron and Trump are pictured during an awkward handshake in July 2017
Trump and Macron clinch hands as they meet on the sidelines of the G7 in Quebec, Canada in June 2018
French president Macron invites Trump to Paris for the reopening of the Notre Dame in 2019
During a May 2017 meeting ahead of the NATO summit in Brussels, Trump and Macron gripped hands so tightly that their knuckles turned white and their jaws clenched.
Macron said at the time that the clinch of a handshake was ‘not innocent’ and meant to be a ‘moment of truth’ showing his US counterpart that the French leader would not be intimidated.
They shared several more bizarre handshakes during Trump’s first term, which ended in January 2021.
In December 2024, after Trump won reelection over Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris, he and Macron were reunited in Paris for the reopening of the Notre Dame, which had been severely damaged in a April 2019 fire.
Trump and Macron were back at it with the intense handshakes during the trip.
