Well, I'm gonna go out on a limb here and suggest that this isn't from "shaking hands."

[Miles Archer]

Link to tweet

Jo
@JoJoFromJerz
If Joe Biden’s hand had looked like it was covered in grey scale Fox would be running that shit on a loop 24/7.

[Lovie777]

1. I hope it's not contagious................

[forgotmylogin]

97. To me it looks like

Bruising which has been covered with flesh colored makeup, and some layers of skin are starting to slough, potentially because of a dry-matte makeup and powder or a fixative applied over broken skin causing epidermis layers to dry out as it heals instead of being moisturized, and the layers are tinted grayish due to the makeup.

I hope it is makeup and not something like paint that isn't skin safe. My first impression is it is "full cover" liquid foundation that's very opaque and designed to cover tattoos or bruises. We used to use it in theater to hide tattoos or scars or reduce the look of beard-stubble. Abrasion from constant rubbing or application could cause thin skin to dry and peel.

[Diamond_Dog]

2. Leavitt is an idiot if she thinks we believe her about him shaking too many hands.

[BoRaGard]

18. Ultra extreme wankage?

[CentralMass]

44. From holding the tweezers and magnifying glass.

[Totally Tunsie]

41. You could have ended that sentence after the word "idiot".

[Cha]

43. We Already Know KL is an Idiot.

That's a given.

[KentuckyWoman]

73. So they are saying Zelensky roughed him up?

[mercuryblues]

114. If you look closely, the bruise is there.

With a better makeup coverage.

[Aristus]

89. "Leavitt is an idiot" Period.

That’s how she got the job.

But you’re right. What a colossally stupid thing to say. Plus, she had to throw in the standard idiotic Trump superlative that he shakes more hands than any President in history.

Actually, IIRC, the record goes to William McKinley, who earned the honor in only one term (and in a time before hand sanitizer. Bleh!)

[enigmania]

95. I'm nearly 69, and have

shaken hands with hundreds of veterans, bikers, and blue collar workers on many, many weekends for decades. Strangely enough, my hand hasn't rotted off yet.

[thought crime]

99. She only thinks MAGA will believe her.

They believe what they're told to believe. Official lies are OK with them.

[Blues Heron]

3. He is decomposing in front of us

[rurallib]

5. makes me think of some of those horror movies

where the guy just decomposes in front of someone.

I think there is an odor that goes with that, but that would be hard to tell with Trump

[JoseBalow]

80. Yes! He reminds me of Christopher Lee in The Curse of Frankenstein

[malaise]

25. I want to see the MAGAts start the feeding

Frenzy😂

[Grim Chieftain]

30. Could he hurry it up a bit?

[bluestarone]

33. Yea, too bad it started on the outside.

We need some inside stuff decomposing happening.

[lark]

84. That's been happening all along and is why we are in this mess.

His brains (if he ever had much) have leaked out and nothing but hate and self aggrandizement is left.

[DeeDeeNY]

34. Decomposing? Please be true!

[k55f5r]

112. Leprosy and syphilis - what a combination.

[bif]

4. He belongs in a leper colony!

[Mossfern]

66. My thoughts

exactly!

[Wednesdays]

93. Well, ANY colony will do...

Just so long as he is disallowed electronic devices or contact with people!

[thought crime]

101. Devils Island has a vacancy.

[Maru Kitteh]

6. Why are they not using his AC for whatever they are doing?

Last edited Mon Aug 25, 2025, 06:06 PM - Edit history (1)

As an RN that’s one of my first questions. They keep blowing out the veins on the back of his hands when they are doing either infusions or blood draws. It keeps drawing attention. The logical thing is to use the AC on the inside of his elbow where it’s not going to show when he does these press conferences. Are his ACs in bad shape? If so, why?

Any medical DUers with thoughts on that?

[multigraincracker]

14. If we had some photos of the inside of is his elbows, we might know.

Hate to think what they might look like.

[returnee]

16. He golfs in short sleeves, no?

And depending on one’s vascular health, the antecubital vein doesn’t always work either.

[littlemissmartypants]

77. I can say from personal experience...

The hands are easier to stick and seldom fail to deliver. That's especially true if someone has rolling veins.

"Rolling veins" can be a pain—literally—for the patient and the phlebotomist or the registered nurse trying to get a blood sample or start an IV. Medical professionals sometimes use the term "rolling veins" to describe those veins that seem to move or roll away every time a needle gets close to them.

https://allnurses.com/rolling-veins-a-quick-guide-t630840/

[lark]

85. Tell me about it! I have extremely rolly veins and they are weak and break super easy as well.

Blood draws are not usually too bad because my hands can be used and those veins, while bad, are accessible. When I need an IV in my arm, I am in trouble and the vein finder ALWAYS has to be used. Ugh!!! Nightmare city for me and the phlebotomist.

[littlemissmartypants]

91. ❤️

[Mossfern]

102. Have you tried using heat pads where they're going to draw blood?

It works well for me. I also make sure I'm well hydrated. My veins are kind of like yours - they roll, are thin and often just turn off in the middle of a draw. About six years ago I was having a PET scan and they needed to insert an IV - the nurse heated my arm and the vein made it's presence known. It was the best IV insertion I've ever had.

Recently I asked the technician at Labcorps if they had those pads - they said "Yes, we have plenty but we don't use them."
Go figure.

[lark]

105. When I first had blood taken, it literally took 13 sticks!

I was 11 and passed out at #7 before they switched to my left hand and got a vein 6 tries later. You should have seen my arms, completely covered in bruises. For some dumb reason they never tried my hand or gave me the pads. I have never seen those, even with my awful veins. I will definitely ask, next time they can't use my hands.

[Mossfern]

109. I feel for you!

[slightlv]

111. I remember one time they were arguing about where to try to draw blood

the easiest, because mine kept rolling away. The pain, stress, and nerves got the better of me at one of the attempts, and I threw up all over everyone. That's when they decided to take a break and reassess their strategy... LOL! I detest having blood drawn. When I have to have it done now, I try very hard from the moment I sit down to just "go away" in my head to someplace calm and forget about what's happening in real life. It's helped some, and I seem to get more and more practice with it since being diagnosed with lupus and fibro, and just flat out getting old.

[lark]

121. I use a similar strategy, dont look and go to a calm place inside.

It helps! Refusing to let routine blood draws come from my arm and insisting on them using my hand has been the best strategy. Plus, I super hydrate starting the day before any blood draw. Still, I totally hate it!

[ShazzieB]

117. I had to google vein finder

I have veins that can be hard to find, but I've never heard of that device before. I'm surprised nobody ever been used that on me. I've been through some major vein searching expeditions that were very much not fun, for me OR the phlebotomist.

I've found that one thing that helps me a lot with blood draws is making sure I'm well hydrated. If I'm even a little bit dehydrated, my veins virtually disappear. Ever since I figured that out, things have gone a lot better. Except for one time, when I was in a rehab center recvering from open heart surgery - phlebotomist showed up unexpectedly and I was too out of it to think about the hydration angle. She stuck me over and over in both arms, and I can't remember if she ever got any blood in the end or not (another effect of being somewhat out of it). My doctor came to see me later, took one look at my arms, and just about had a cow. It diid look bad; I was on blood thinners at the time, so my arms were literally covered in purple bruises! Judging from my doctor's mood, I'm afraid that phlebotomist may have had hell to pay. Which she may have deserved, but she was really nice and apologetic at the time, so I felt kind of bad for her. (Come to think of it, my reaction to the situation was probably also indicative of how out of it I was!)
.

[Maru Kitteh]

19. Here's one from earlier this year on R/Democrats

https://www.reddit.com/r/democrats/s/OE21tE5hVx

His inner arms look smooth and there’s a little bruise on that right hand. He’s very fluffy. I wonder if they didn’t have to ultrasound him to get an arterial draw or set a 16 gauge sometime leading him to forbid that route going forward. It’s the exact sort of very stupid thing he would do.

[ms liberty]

29. He drinks zero water, and with all the meds he he takes, maybe they can't catch a vein there.

He may be fluffy, but I'll bet his veins aren't.

[cksmithy]

40. I am healthy for my age, 74,

but the veins in my hands have always blown out, my arm/elbow ac veins work just fine. I have had several surgeries and procedures where I need an IV. If I need an IV, i always tell the RN it won't work I my hand, they don't believe me, say "Oh my, your vein has blown out," Then they move to the ac veins. I think he is getting supplements/fluids,etc., because he is so unwell.

[misanthrope]

75. That is my number one question

They are typically a much easier stick. There are others on the posterior forearm that are next easiest before you get to the back of the hand.

Unless your veins suck and are shot.

[FarPoint]

87. I asked that question as well....

If concealing IV access was a goal...they can place an implanted port in his upper chest.... Simple deduction for me...

[Maru Kitteh]

100. They would only do port access for a

medium to long term health need requiring repeated vascular access like chemo or dialysis or some other infusion therapy. With his legs all gone to shit I could see cellulitis or even osteomyelitis needing a long course of IV ABX. He”s probably colonized everywhere due to a lifetime of really poor antibiotic compliance . He doesn’t read anything or follow instructions. You know he’s the kind that starts and stops and takes how ever many pills he decides is correct because he knows better.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

116. AC Air Conditioning? Or are we NON-medical people supposed to play guessing games?

Please think of your readers, ALWAYS.

[Klarkashton]

7. That look is common at hospice care places.

He is in waaaaay over his head with all of this and he's getting bad advice from all those terrible right wing goobers that are never correct about anything.

[milestogo]

8. Last known photo of Queen Elizabeth.

[CatWoman]

12. yep

that's the first thing I thought of when I saw his hands

[mwmisses4289]

26. But she and her family weren't trying to hide her

failing health. Unlike idgit, who is probably very, very ill, and pretending he isn't.

[The Madcap]

54. Beautiful even near the end.

[LPBBEAR]

57. My Mothers

hands looked very similar. The result of blood thinners and other meds she was on. She came back from 3 strokes. COPD finally took her. She had quit smoking many years prior to her passing but the damage was done from her many early years of smoking.
I'm starting to wonder whether Trump is on some extreme medication. Something that has hyper activity as a side effect. He has always been evil but the last few months he has been the energizer bunny of evil moronic ideas.
Whatever he has I'm hoping it takes his worthless ass soon. The sooner he dies the fewer Americans will die.

[area51]

74. I'm sorry for your loss.

[SheilaAnn]

63. I believe this photo was taken two days before she passed away. May she RIP..n/t

[Bread and Circuses]

64. Queen Elizabeth had her cognitive abilities when she died at 96. . Her health declines about a year before her death

[milestogo]

68. But there she was dressed well and receiving guests even near the end.

She lived a good life.

[buzzycrumbhunger]

67. And she died two days after this photo...

Please, please, PLEASE let it be fast!

Note I saw a post by a nurse who discussed all this and gives him 6-8 months, tops. Sadly, we’ve seen how much damage he can do in that amount of time…

[Deminpenn]

115. Skin tends to get thinner as one ages

It's common in the very elderly, 85+, to have very thin skin and to bruise easily.

[bif]

9. Maybe RFK Jr. can treat him.

[Midnight Writer]

11. Ivermectin should do the trick. Lots and lots of it.

[Raven123]

36. Or maybe bleach

[yorkster]

13. Dr. Screwworm will see you now.

[Karasu]

23. Dr. Brainworm is busy at the moment, so Dr. Screwworm will have to do.

[newdeal2]

15. Him and that faith advisor lady

Pray it away.

[Dem2theMax]

24. Bleach! Lots and lots of bleach! Isn't that what he told us to do?

Last edited Tue Aug 26, 2025, 08:11 PM - Edit history (1)

[Oopsie Daisy]

10. Punching the wall? Backhanding Melania? IV bruising?

Did he fall? Did he almost-fall? (I'm very much looking forward to seeing him with a black eye from falling in the bathroom! Whether it's from hitting a glass shower door or plunging headlong into a gilded toilet... his bruising makes me happy!)

[Silent Type]

17. Hope it's contagious.

[Rebl2]

20. No it

is not. It looks like bruising from where an IV was. Have had the same type bruising from IV on top of my hand years ago. Also his hand looks swollen.

[hatrack]

82. I noticed that - abnormally smooth, like sausage skin under considerable strain . . .

Oh well . . . .

[paulkienitz]

21. Looks like he tried to steal a horcrux.

[genxlib]

113. I was just scrolling down to say something about a horcrux

Dang it. You beat me to it.

[twodogsbarking]

22. Soon Trump will be accepting a new arm from a living MAGANUT.

They are having trouble finding someone with a very small hand.

[Maru Kitteh]

27. That index finger is TINY

[allegorical oracle]

38. They don't hafta match. They could stitch on a lower leg...nobody would care.

[MorbidButterflyTat]

78. .

[The Roux Comes First]

28. Given His Astonishing Vanity and Resulting Overconsumption of Makeup and Wardrobe Manipulation

I find it amazing he went out in public like this.

[keep_left]

31. Is that photoshopped?! I mean, I've had nasty IV bruises...

...before, but that's like something from a sci-fi movie. It looks like there's a lot of white scaly stuff on top of the bruising. That's why I wonder if someone got a little bit creative with this photo.

[blogslug]

62. I don't know about that particular photo but the bruise is real

https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/president-donald-trump-during-a-meeting-with-lee-jae-myung-news-photo/2231378151

[keep_left]

65. Thanks for the link. I think what is seen in the photo from the OP...

...is an optical illusion, perhaps caused by light from a flash or whatever. The Getty Images photo is a pretty nasty bruise, though! It looks like it's spread across the entire hand. I wonder if Trump is taking blood thinners.

[Miles Archer]

69. If you want to believe Musk's "GROK," no...those are Getty Images

I'm too lazy to look it up again, but I just saw it on Twitter a few minutes ago. The MAGAts are responding in droves, saying it's "AI" and "Trump Derangement Syndrome." So someone asked GROK and for whatever it's worth it confirmed that they are legit photos from Getty Images.

[mercuryblues]

71. Entirely possible it is real

When you are sick, your veins tend to give out easily. When I was being prepped for my transplant, the protocol is to insert a central line/catheter.

I literally still have a faint bruise on my arm when a nurse tried to draw blood and blew the vein for a routine checkup, from 2 years ago.

The back of my hand looked like hell on and off for a few years.

[ChazInAz]

104. I have a suspicion.

Hidden somewhere is a portrait of him that's getting gradually younger and healthier looking as he decomposes.

[ultralite001]

108. MAD magazine...

would have done such an excellent story w/ this...

RIP, MAD... You've been missed...

[ChazInAz]

122. Amen!

[Mike Nelson]

32. The look of someone...

... sleeping with an IV? He used to wear black gloves when the hands looked bad... maybe he was advised it would cause some skin problems? I think we can feel okay knowing he's getting great care from Dr. Oz, RFJr, and Ronnie!

[Ocelot II]

35. I do hope it's nothing minor...

[tanyev]

37. The reptilian transformation continues apace.

[Grammy23]

39. Maybe we can add another name for tRump....

Adding to the growing list. Stubby or Stubs (for his short, vulgarian fingers.)

[calimary]

42. Makes me want to ask what's eating him.

That looks pretty troublesome.

[CentralMass]

45. A pigs heart transplant might be be needed. It would be a 100% genetic match .

[Wednesdays]

98. Please don't insult pigs. nt

[Godot51]

46. In ignorance...

I'm not in any medical field, I have no expertise in that area. So I'm speaking in ignorance.

My father and his family were susceptible to bruising on their hands and forearms. I inherited this and it has been exacerbated by medications taken for various, old age disorders.

The smallest bump can bring on a purplish bruise that lingers. If rubbed it spreads.

Having said that, my own bruises look nothing like these. I do nothing to cover them, neither my doctor nor my pharmacist worry about them, though they do make me slightly self-conscious. I've heard several people who take an aspirin daily for their circulation comment on similar problems.

trump is five years older than me. He certainly looks unhealthy, physically, and acts unhealthily mentally. I worry more about his obviously poor intelligence, his inability to cognate, and his inability to make good decisions than any physical problems.

[Hornedfrog2000]

47. Fox msnbc, cnn

Everyone would be cashing in on that shit.


Probably more likely makeup, covering up where he recently had an IV. He looked fluid overloaded the other day. Wonder what they pumped him full of, and why

[proud patriot]

48. it's weekend at bernies

at the white house

[peggysue2]

49. That's the way my father-in-law's hands looked . . .

After frequent infusions during his cancer treatments. For my father-in-law it was to combat extreme dehydration; he just wasn't able to drink enough water to keep up with the chemo side effects.

If the stories are credible about Trump and congestive heart disease it could be infusions for that or if he's having liver failure. A lot of speculation out there that he's now catheterized. Lot of speculation everywhere, but the man obviously is not well and his mental deterioration is getting worse by the day.

He looks terrible and is having difficulty walking. And, of course, he makes little to no sense.

The Mad King is in decline.

[SleeplessinSoCal]

50. if he's fighting heart disease...

It explains his concerns about being admitted into Heaven. St Peter don't take kindly to liars and thieves. Let alone those entrusted with the public good.

[BidenRocks]

51. Amputate quickly!

Give him the Kashoggi!

[paleotn]

52. Probably on some kind of blood thinner....

The bruising and scares aren't as problematic as his swollen hands. He's retaining massive amounts of fluid and not just in his lower extremities apparently. One very sick puppy in so many ways.

Paging Death. Mr. Death, please report to the White House. Mr. Death. Please report to the White House.

[Blue Full Moon]

53. 2 months ago he had bruises

And stumbled up the stairs of Air Force One.

[50 Shades Of Blue]

55. Lizard person hide showing through the orange body suit.

[Timewas]

56. Sadly

I am 83, taking blood thinners and that bruise can show up any time from very little contact against anything, I may not even feel it... Not gonna get my hopes up that this is anything more than that

[global1]

58. Didn't Mitch McConnell Have A Similar Situation Going On With The Back Of His Hand?......

What was the cause of the blacking of the back of his hand? I don't recall how that was resolved.

[Henry203]

59. Will the gremlin's from ghost show up

Imagine his face as they take him to hell.

[The Wizard]

60. I recall Mitch McConnell's hand

looking like this after he reportedly "fell."

[William Seger]

61. Guys, I'm 76 and I get bruises like that on my hands and forearms all the time

Last edited Mon Aug 25, 2025, 11:57 PM - Edit history (1)

...from something as simple as reaching into a tight drawer. It's a bruise just under the surface of the skin because it has become very thin. I don't know how common it is with other seniors.

EDIT: I should add that I've never gotten a bruise like that from shaking hands, and doubt that I could -- I think it's almost always from scraping across a sharp corner -- so I'm pretty sure that's not the explanation.

[Captain Zero]

70. He's getting infusions for something.

He's got a major auto-immune disorder??
There are lots of infusions for that.

What else uses infusions??

[pansypoo53219]

72. check his fingertips. maybe its purples.....

yeah old death cause. heart disease.

[alittlelark]

76. That thing looks like a nasty scab with bad makeup

The hand too.

[MorbidButterflyTat]

79. .

[From The Ashes]

83. lol!

[Bernardo de La Paz]

118. DUzy!

[Trueblue Texan]

81. a logical guess would be a blood draw...

but why would they use his hand? Why not inside his elbow where it's easier to hide? Is he trying to hide something else that might be revealed if he rolls up his sleeve? Also it looks scaly like psoriasis...

[Emile]

86. Liver failure maybe?

[NowsTheTime]

88. I do believe it will be impossible for them to find a stand in for him were they to need to try...

[NNadir]

90. When it goes down, I plan to call for Orrex appreciation day!

[mercuryblues]

120. National holiday

[Biglinda 52]

92. That Vein..

He's got a great vein in which an IV can be started. If we could magnify, wonder if the needle hole is still there.

[Martin68]

94. Where are the conservative lizard people conspiracy theorists?

[Torchlight]

96. Makeup to cover an "88" tat, maybe?

Anything to cover for his deterioration, no matter how outlandish or benign, will work as intended.

[vapor2]

103. EVERYTHING Leavitt says is stupid and a lie

recall when she said 47 doesn't grift? Outright lies by all of them

[Blue Full Moon]

106. Time for an investigation of

Vance and the other Guardians of Pedophiles over their cover-up of Trump's health and mental illness.

[Lucky Luciano]

107. Septicaemic plague would be ideal.

[ultralite001]

110. Ketamine infusions??? a la the Musketeer...

It could happen...

[Joinfortmill]

119. Looks like it's from a needle. So, he's getting a blood draw or something injected.