Trump’s Hand Bruise Is On the Move

Trump takes NORAD Santa tracker calls on December 24, 2025 at Mar-a-Lago.
Photo: AFP via Getty Images

For the past year, Donald Trump has had a persistent bruise on the back of his right hand. It initially came and went, but now the bruise is almost always visible on the president’s hand (though he often makes poor attempts to cover it with makeup).

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt’s explanation has been similarly unchanging. Since February, she’s given some version of this statement when asked about the bruise: “President Trump is a man of the people, and he meets more Americans and shakes their hands on a daily basis than any other president in history … His commitment is unwavering, and he proves that every single day.”

But if this is a heroic hand-shaking injury, why is Trump now sporting a bruise on his left hand, too?

While saying weird things to children who called him to talk Santa on Christmas Eve, Trump was spotted the usual splotch of mismatched and unblended makeup on the back of his right hand. And while it was much smaller and lighter than what we’ve seen on Trump’s right hand, he also had some purple discoloration on the back of his left hand:

Here’s a closer look:

The left-hand bruising, as well as the right-hand makeup, was still visible on Sunday when Trump met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at Mar-a-Lago.

If you’re thinking “this is just what old people’s hands look like” you’re exactly right. If the White House had said from the start “79-year-olds often get weird bruises, especially when they’re taking aspirin like the president” people on social media probably wouldn’t be watching Trump’s hands as closely.

Instead, the White House gave its usual response when asked about the two-handed bruising visible during the Zelensky meeting. Leavitt told the Daily Beast: “President Trump is a man of the people and he meets more Americans and shakes their hands on a daily basis than any other President in history. His commitment is unwavering and he proves that every single day.”

According to the laws of MAGA World, Trump is the greatest physical specimen to ever occupy the White House. Thus, any injury he sustains must be noble and a bit super-human. So the bruise is and will remain a hand-shaking injury, even though it’s showing up on appendages that play little part in greeting the masses.

See All