Donald Trump has reemerged with a fresh coat of makeup on his chronically bruised hand after going four days without a public appearance.
The 79-year-old president went off the radar after his last public appearance on Tuesday, just as the federal government ground to a halt in the first shutdown since 2018.
Although he taped a sit-down interview on Wednesday and was spotted golfing in Virginia on Saturday, speculation about his health swirled on social media over the weekend, especially after he gave a bizarre CNN interview Sunday.
Rather than appearing in person or by phone, Trump texted his answers at an unspecified time before the show, prompting viewers to demand “proof of life.”
Trump, the oldest person ever inaugurated as president, finally returned to the spotlight later Sunday as he departed the White House to attend the Navy’s 250th anniversary celebrations in Norfolk, Virginia.
Photos show he had once again covered up the large bruise on his right hand by slathering it in beige makeup for the outing.
The purple mark has persisted for months without appearing to heal, and Trump has often tried to keep it out of sight by slapping on makeup, cupping it with his left hand, or tucking it under the table.
Still, the White House has insisted that the bruise is not a cause for concern.
“This is consistent with minor soft tissue irritation from frequent handshaking and the use of aspirin, which is taken as part of a standard cardiovascular prevention regime,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt previously told the Daily Beast.
The Daily Beast has reached out to the White House for comment on Sunday’s photos.
Questions about the aging president’s health have only intensified as he has been seen with swollen ankles, a droopy face, and communicated in incoherent sentences and Truth Social posts.
Trump, who has struggled to walk in a straight line on multiple occasions, has been diagnosed with chronic venous insufficiency, a condition common in seniors in which blood pools in the legs due to poor circulation.
The last time Trump disappeared from public view for a multi-day stretch over Labor Day weekend, health rumors ran wild—at one point even sparking claims that he had died.
