President Donald Trump’s chronic health problem took center stage on an overseas trip supposed to project power.
“We’re the two superpowers,” Trump, 79, told reporters as he departed the White House on Tuesday for a state visit to China. “We’re the strongest nation on Earth in terms of military. China’s considered second.”
Almost as soon as he touched down in Beijing on Wednesday, those optics took a beating as he paraded his beat-up hand around the Chinese capital. “Trump’s hand was looking pretty gnarly after he landed in China,” commentator Aaron Rupar posted on X, sharing a photo of veins bulging out of Trump’s hands moments after he arrived at the Beijing Capital International Airport.
On Thursday, the 79-year-old tried to project power as he grappled with Chinese President Xi Jinping in his classic handshake power struggle.
But given that it’s handshakes that the White House tends to blame for his chronic hand bruising, perhaps Trump should have opted for a more docile greeting. One Getty Images photo from outside the Great Hall of the People shows Trump crowing about something or other as he haughtily grabs Xi’s hand, raising his elbow higher than his counterpart’s in an apparent attempt to project dominance.
This classic from Trump’s playbook, which he also tried on Britain’s King Charles last month, was hampered slightly by the purple bruising peeking out from beneath a thick layer of foundation on his right hand. But it was an opening salvo from Xi that did the most damage, as he warned Trump that the Taiwan issue could push their two countries into “conflict” if mishandled.
After a few minutes of tussling, the two leaders went inside the first round of bilateral talks.
Trump appeared uncharacteristically subdued afterward. Standing with his counterpart outside the Temple of Heaven, Trump was asked how the talks, which lasted just over two hours, went. With a flat expression, he replied: “It’s great—a great place. Incredible. China is beautiful.”
Both the president’s dominant right hand and non-dominant left—his “good” hand—were slathered in concealer earlier this week as he led a maternal healthcare event in the Oval Office and a celebration of NCAA champion footballers, the Indiana Hoosiers.
Reached for comment on the president’s bruised hands after the Oval Office meeting, White House spokesperson Davis Ingle told the Daily Beast in a frequently recycled statement: “President Trump is the sharpest, most accessible, and energetic president in American history. The President is a man of the people and he meets more Americans and shakes their hands on a daily basis than any other President in history. President Trump’s commitment is unwavering and he proves that every single day.”
The White House was asked for an updated statement. Separately, a White House official extolled the virtues of the trip. “President Trump had a good meeting with President Xi of China. The two sides discussed ways to enhance economic cooperation between our two countries, including expanding market access for American businesses into China and increasing Chinese investment into our industries,” they told the Daily Beast.
