Political Tribune

Donald Trump, Opinion, Politics, Social Media

Trump Spotted Golfing With Short Sleeves That Exposed Bruises Not Usually Seen In Public

The arm looks awful

581
581 points

Presidential dress codes don’t usually include visible bruising, but here we are.

Over the weekend, the 80-year-old president showed up at his own Bedminster golf course for the LIV Golf New York tournament. He rode around in a cart rather than walking the course, which is very on-brand.

What wasn’t on-brand was his forearm.

Cameras caught him in a short-sleeve polo, arm fully exposed, showing a cluster of dark marks and a couple of scrapes. A few fingers on his right hand had Band-Aids on them too.

This isn’t the first bruise rodeo. Trump’s hands have shown up mottled and makeup-covered in photos for years now. But an arm is new. And new bruising locations tend to reignite old questions.

The White House’s go-to answer for the hand bruises has always been handshakes. Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said last year that “President Trump is a man of the people” who shakes more hands than any other president in history.

That explanation gets shakier once the bruising shows up somewhere a handshake wouldn’t reach.

Trump has his own theory: aspirin. He’s said, “I take the big aspirin,” despite his doctor telling him it wasn’t strictly necessary. Medically, that’s the more credible story. His physician, Dr. Sean Barbabella, said in a May checkup that the bruising likely comes from a mix of daily aspirin and a vein condition called chronic venous insufficiency, which Trump was diagnosed with last summer.

Reuters checked the theory with outside doctors. Four physicians, a mix of surgeons and internists, said aspirin use lining up with this kind of bruising was medically reasonable.

Reasonable doesn’t mean the internet is satisfied, though.

The administration isn’t budging either way. Spokesperson Davis Ingle called Trump “the sharpest, most accessible, and energetic president in American history.”

Trump, for his part, keeps bringing up a cognitive test he’s taken more than once, treating a passing result as proof of “extreme intelligence.” Doctors have pushed back on that framing, noting the test screens for dementia and cognitive decline, not IQ.

Featured image via X screengrab 

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Terry Lawson

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Terry is an editor and political writer based in Alabama. Over the last five years, he’s worked behind the scenes as a ghostwriter for a range of companies, helping shape voices and tell stories that connect. Now at Political Tribune, he writes sharp political pieces and edits with a close eye on clarity and tone. Terry’s work is driven by strong storytelling, attention to detail, and a clear sense of purpose. He’s skilled in writing, editing, and project management — and always focused on getting the message right. You can find him on X at https://x.com/TerryNotTrump.

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