But in the weeks and months that followed, questions persisted. In fact, earlier this month, after Trump was seen with a bandage on his hand, a reporter asked Leavitt to address the matter anew. “We’ve given you an explanation,” the press secretary responded. “The president is literally constantly shaking hands.”

Q: Can you explain what's going on with the bandages on Trump's hand?


LEAVITT: We've given you an explanation. The president is literally constantly shaking hands.

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com) 2025-12-11T18:48:29.018Z

It’s probably time for the White House to come up with a new explanation. New York magazine reported:

While saying weird things to children who called him to talk Santa on Christmas Eve, Trump was spotted with 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. […]

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

not only was Trump's right hand discolored on Christmas Eve, but it appears his left hand is now discolored too

(Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty)

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com) 2025-12-28T18:21:33.642Z

.....Complicating matters further is the broader context. This is the same president who’s struggled with questions about a recent MRI — Trump has said he has “no idea” which part of his body was scanned — which came around the same time that he appeared to fall asleep at a couple of White House events.

It’s entirely possible there’s nothing to this story, but given Trump’s unfortunate record, he hasn’t exactly earned the benefit of the doubt on questions of medical transparency. If White House officials expect these questions to go away, they’re probably going to be disappointed.