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Trump explains fresh hand bruise after bizarre Greenland suggestion sparks row; ‘clipped it…’
President Donald Trump appeared to downplay the fresh bruising on his good hand.
President Donald Trump appeared to downplay the fresh bruising on his good hand. Explaining why there was a purple mark on his left hand, the 79-year-old told reporters on Air Force One that he simply hit a table at Davos.
Trump has been seen with frequent bruising on his right hand since returning to the White House last year, often concealing it with bandages and makeup. The White House has addressed his health issues, saying the bruising is due to a combination of frequent handshaking and the aspirin he takes for his cardiovascular health.
Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, speaking about the new bruise, said Trump had ‘hit his hand on the corner of the signing table’ at the event, ‘causing it to bruise’.
“I clipped it on the table,” Trump told CNN’s Samatha Waldenberg aboard Air Force One. “I put a little, what do they call it?, cream on it. But I clipped it,” he added.
Jon Stewart’s bizarre suggestion
Meanwhile, Jon Stewart and The Daily Show tried explaining Trump's bruise with a reference to the tensions over Greenland. On Thursday, the late-night program’s X account shared a photo of the bruise, writing: “Breaking: Trump annexes Gangreneland.”
This was a double entendre referring to the condition where a lack of blood circulation results in severe swelling.
Trump's health concerns
Speculation has swirled about Trump's fitness given his age, the hand bruising, swelling in his legs, and several apparent moments of dozing off during public events.
The administration disclosed last summer that Trump's leg swelling had been diagnosed as a symptom of chronic venous insufficiency, a common condition in which faulty vein valves allow blood to pool, causing swelling, cramping and skin changes.
It can be managed with medication or targeted procedures.
An unannounced hospital visit last year added to suspicions of secrecy around his health.
Weeks afterward, Trump's doctor said MRI imaging had shown the president to be in "excellent" cardiovascular health.
(With AFP inputs)
