Did the White House purposely hide President Donald Trump’s ankles in the official photo of his meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy?
The Daily Beast noticed that while the president’s “swollen ankles” could be observed in the meeting itself, when an official photo was posted to the White House X account, an Air Force One model was blocking the president’s ankles.
President Donald J. Trump and President @ZelenskyyUa in the Oval Office. 🇺🇸🇺🇦 pic.twitter.com/WTrSnKFzFM
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) August 18, 2025
“Meanwhile, the ankles of other attendees, including Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, were on full display and appeared unremarkable,” the Daily Beast noted.
White House Hides Trump’s Cankles With Odd Prop in Zelensky Photo-Op https://t.co/XtB7mVd2fn
— Fernando Oliver, Esq. (@Fernand46357857) August 19, 2025
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Much notice has been placed in recent months on the sizes of the president’s ankles, even before the White House announced that Trump had been diagnosed with Chronic venous insufficiency (CVI).
The White House had to admit that after Trump’s ankles, as well as occasionally bruises on his hands, drew notice.
“His ankles, swollen and straining over his Oxfords, aren’t just unsightly ‘cankles’; they’re flashing neon signs of a body under pressure. In medical terms, that puffiness often means venous or even cardiac insufficiency, the circulation slowing, the blood not moving as it should. These are not the hinges of stamina that can run a presidential marathon, but the hinges of a retiree glued to his La-Z-boy, feet up and watching Fox News all day,” The Daily Beast reported earlier this week.
“It is very common and exacerbated by gravity, inactivity, and weight. The heavier a person is, the more pronounced the symptoms can be,” vascular surgeon Emily Malgor, MD, FACS, assistant professor of surgery at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, told the website of the University of Colorado’s Anschutz Medical Campus earlier this year.
The president’s ankles were especially noted during Trump’s appearance, last Friday, with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Trump’s ankles are extremely swollen 😬
See Putin’s for comparison. pic.twitter.com/dtzxWi2CL7
— Nick Freiling (@NickFreiling) August 16, 2025
Trump swollen ankles are a danger to him. pic.twitter.com/sFmFnydplT
— NeverTrumpNeverRed (@NeverTrumpRed) August 4, 2025
The pictures of Trump with gargantuan ankles may be his socks over foot/ankle braces for his Frontotemporal dementia. They temporarily aid balance issues, foot drop, and gait issues. pic.twitter.com/6kV2kLp9sT
— Tom Joseph (@TomJChicago) July 16, 2025
Photo courtesy of an X screenshot.