President Donald Trump’s makeup-caked hand made a surprise appearance at a Rose Garden event on Friday.In a dinner with Republican allies whom Trump dubbed the “Rose Garden Club,” the president was snapped lifting his right hand, which has recently been showing a large, unsightly bruise.
The images, taken in an unguarded moment, reveal that the concealer the president has been using to hide the discoloration is still very much in place. Lately, the White House has taken to finding ways to hide his hands in public and during photo ops, including with odd props. Late last month, bruising on his left hand was also evident.
The 79-year-old leader has downplayed concerns about his health, claiming that he has “NEVER FELT BETTER IN MY LIFE,” on Truth Social. The statement dispelled wild online speculation that the president had died, which sprang from his brief and uncharacteristic retreat from the public eye.
Late-night host Jimmy Kimmel described the cover-up job as “even sloppier than the Epstein one.” Texas Democrat Rep. Jasmine Crockett also joked on a recent podcast that the president’s hand “looks like it’s about to fall off.”
The Rose Club Garden dinner was the first event to be held in the space following its parking lot-style conversion. The grand re-opening was intended to take place on Thursday night for a dinner with tech and business leaders, but that had to be moved indoors due to bad weather.
At the Thursday meeting with Silicon Valley giants, including Mark Zuckerberg, Tim Cook, and Bill Gates, Trump spent much of the evening with his hands almost entirely beneath the table while cameras were present.
The bruising on Trump’s hand was first noticed in February during a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron. After months of varying explanations, the White House admitted in July that Trump had been diagnosed with chronic venous insufficiency.
The circulatory condition causes blood to pool in the legs and may be the cause of the “cankles” Trump has been sporting recently.
Images from the dinner show that Trump’s ankles look relatively normal, having been significantly swollen in recent weeks.