White House announces Donald Trump to undergo physical after mysterious bruises appear on hands

The White House has officially announced that U.S. President Donald Trump will undergo a physical examination at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.

“President Donald J. Trump will complete his routine annual physical exam next month at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center (WRNMMC),” a statement from Dr. Sean Barbabella, Physician to the President, read. “The date of his physical exam will be released publicly in the next few weeks.

The announcement from the White House and Barbabella comes as a mystery bruise was spotted on his hands during his meeting with Emmanuel Macron earlier this week. The bruises were yellow and purple and appeared on the back of his right hand.

A White House official explained that the bruise had developed because Trump had shaken hands with several people on the campaign trail.

“President Trump is a man of the people. His commitment is unwavering, and he proves that every single day,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said. “President Trump has bruises on his hand because he’s constantly working and shaking hands all day every day,” she added.

Despite the seemingly plausible reason, some doctors have raised the alarm that the bruising could be a sign of something else going on inside the president’s body. One medical expert, Dr. Stuart Fischer, reportedly told the DailyMail that the bruise could indicate aging.

Fischer stated that another possible explanation could be due to osteoarthritis, a disease associated with aging that causes the degradation of cartilage and bone in the joints, might be a possibility. Additionally, there is a chance that his blood vessels could become brittle.

While there could be several possibilities for the bruises, it is difficult to reach a definitive conclusion since his health remains unclear. Trump, who is the oldest person to be elected to the Oval Office, refuses to disclose new details about his physical or mental well-being, breaking decades of precedent.

The bruises were seemingly attempted to be covered up with makeup, but it was still very easy to tell that his hand looked hurt. Naturally, people took to social media to speculate as to what could have caused the bruise.

“Scrolling Getty and couldn’t help but notice this photo of a huge bruise on Trump’s hand today,” journalist Aaron Rupar said in a post on X. One of the replies read: “He must have had this same bruise for quite a while….like weeks, because there’s been a couple of other photos from about a month ago with that bruise on the same hand. But the fact it’s still there, is really concerning. As in what’s up with his health.”

Last November, Trump’s physician, Dr. Bruce Aronwald, wrote a letter describing him as having “excellent” health with “exceptional” cognitive exams. He noted that “cardiovascular studies are all normal and cancer screening tests” were harmful.

Trump had also “reduced his weight.” But those communications didn’t address more fundamental questions about Trump’s health, including his blood pressure, exact weight, or whether he has continued using previously prescribed medication for high cholesterol — or even what testing he underwent.

His administration has also not disclosed whether Trump has been diagnosed with any diseases or received any mental health care after the assassination attempt. There have been limited snapshots of Trump’s health over the last year. After he survived an attempted assassination in July, Texas Rep. Ronny Jackson, a staunch supporter who served as his White House physician, wrote a memo describing a gunshot wound to Trump’s right ear.