President Donald Trump was recently seen with a large red rash on the right side of his neck. The mark first appeared on Monday, just days after he announced U.S. strikes against Iran.
Soon after, people began asking what might have caused it.
Dermatologist Dustin Portela believes the rash could be linked to a treatment used to stop precancerous skin spots from turning into cancer.
Portela said the redness and flaking look “characteristic” of a chemotherapy cream often used to treat early skin damage. “This is a type of cream that I use frequently in my patients, my older patients, who are golfers, who are boaters, who are just very active outside,” Portela said.
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The condition doctors suspect is called Actinic Keratosis. It is caused by years of sun exposure and can sometimes develop into skin cancer if untreated.
Portela said Trump fits the risk profile.
“He is the picture-perfect case of a very fair-skinned, light-haired individual who spends a lot of time outside, who’s at high risk for getting skin cancer,” he said.
Trump does spend a lot of time outdoors, especially on the golf course. According to the Trump Golf Tracker, he has played golf on 97 days during his second term. That’s about 23.7% of his time in office since his January 2025 inauguration.
So far in 2026 alone, he has reportedly golfed ten times. Doctors say the rash could also be linked to a medication called 5-Fluorouracil. The cream is commonly used to treat early skin damage caused by years of sun exposure.
Portela said reactions like Trump’s are very common. “I’ve seen this kind of reaction hundreds, if not thousands of times, on my patients,” he said.
Trump’s physician, Sean P. Barbabella, confirmed the president is using a skin treatment.
“President Trump is using a very common cream on the right side of his neck, which is a preventative skin treatment, prescribed by the White House Doctor,” Barbabella said. He added that the treatment will last about one week, though the redness could remain visible for several weeks afterward.
Still, some doctors questioned why the White House has been vague about the situation. Medical analyst Vin Gupta and cardiologist Jonathan Reiner both raised concerns.
“We don’t know what specific treatment the president is receiving, but why all the secrecy for something that is potentially easy to treat and very common in older people?” Reiner asked.
Preventative skin treatments (such as topical 5 flurouracil) are commonly used to prevent overt skin cancer in people with precancerous skin lesions. We don’t know what specific treatment the president is receiving, but why all the secrecy for something that is potentially easy… https://t.co/fufTeJmc6O
— Jonathan Reiner (@JReinerMD) March 2, 2026
White House officials pushed back against speculation. Spokesperson Davis Ingle defended the administration’s response.
“These are false and slanderous allegations from so-called reporters who are unethically speculating on health matters that they have no insight into,” he said.
Featured image via Political Tribune Gallery
