The White House drew attention to President Donald Trump’s health problem in a post about his exploits in China.
While sharing photos on X of the 79-year-old president’s visit to Beijing on Thursday, the White House made the mistake of showing off the near-octogenarian’s right hand, which was plastered in bright beige makeup that did not at all match the color of his typically orange skin.
In the photo, Trump beams while standing beside Chinese President Xi Jinping inside the Temple of Heaven, as the makeup spot on his dominant hand nearly matches the hue of his cheesing teeth.
It’s not clear whether a staffer or the president himself applied the foundation to his hand.
Reached for comment on the president’s poor makeup job, 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.”
Trump arrived in Beijing on Wednesday for a three-day visit with America’s superpower adversary. There, the president praised his rival Xi as a “great leader,” despite Xi subtly threatening the U.S. to back off from Taiwan.
“If it is handled properly, the bilateral relationship will enjoy overall stability,” a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said about the “Taiwan question” after a private meeting between the two leaders on Thursday. “Otherwise, the two countries will have clashes and even conflicts, putting the entire relationship in great jeopardy.”
Trump’s bruised hands are commonly slathered in concealer to hide their discoloration. Though the White House generally attributes the president’s often-bruised right hand to “frequent handshaking” and his high-dose aspirin regimen, his non-dominant left hand appears bruised sometimes, too.
Ahead of his visit to Beijing, Trump proudly displayed both of his makeup-covered hands earlier this week while celebrating the NCAA champion footballers, the Indiana Hoosiers, at the White House on Monday.
As he congratulated the student athletes, the president’s right-hand makeup job looked scaly while his “good hand” featured a prominent dark mark of foundation.
Also on Monday, the president appeared to fall asleep at the Resolute Desk while leading a maternal healthcare event, as cameras captured him jerking awake while Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. rambled about a supposed “fertility crisis.”
The Daily Beast has thoroughly documented the president’s apparent physical and mental decline throughout his second administration, from his bulging cankles and surprise neck rash to his bouts of confusion and slurred speech.
