President Donald Trump sparked fresh concerns over his health after allegedly getting photographed with heavy bruising on his right arm. Attending the LIV Golf New York tournament at his own Trump National course in Bedminster, New Jersey, on Saturday, Trump was photographed in a white polo T-shirt that bared his arms, allegedly showing bruises along his forearm that appeared different from the previously spotted marks around his knuckles.
In the viral photos shared on social media, Trump is seen slouching in a golf cart wearing heavily branded presidential merch. With his forearms exposed, the photos allegedly revealed bruises up along his hand with some patch-like marks.
As per The Daily Beast, Trump also sported Band-Aids on a couple of fingers of his right hand, which he rested on his knee. While this isn’t the first time Trump was spotted with bruises on his hand, which he has previously claimed are caused by a high dose of aspirin, the recent bruises have moved up considerably along his arm, raising fresh concerns.
Over the last year, Trump, 80, has been spotted with major bruising, and since he will be the oldest serving president by the time he leaves office, his health has come under repeated scrutiny. Previously, his hand was seen covered in bruising during a meeting with South Korean President Lee Jae Myung last year.
Since then, there have been several occasions where the bruising was seen, including in November and February during French President Emmanuel Macron’s visit to the White House, according to NBC News. Previously, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt blamed a career of frequent hand-shaking for the bruising on his right hand, but that seemed to fall apart after the bruising appeared on his left hand as well.
Previously in a lengthy interview about his health, Trump told The Wall Street Journal that he had been taking larger than recommended doses of aspirin for the last 25 years, which has apparently caused him to bruise easily. “They say aspirin is good for thinning out the blood, and I don’t want thick blood pouring through my heart,” Trump said in the interview. He shared that he takes 325mg of aspirin per day instead of the recommended 81mg dose that is mostly prescribed. “They’d rather have me take the smaller one,” Trump said, but he claimed that he didn’t want to switch routines after so many years, so he continues to take his usual dosage against the advice. Earlier this year, Trump said the same thing while speaking to a reporter aboard Air Force One, after claiming that an accidental bang on the table had caused bruising on his hand.
According to Mayo Clinic, the risk of heart attack and stroke goes up with age, but a low-dose aspirin can help people prevent it as the medication thins the blood and prevents clots. However, the clinic warns that the risk of bleeding from aspirin also goes up with age, and the recommended dose for aspirin therapy is between 75mg and 325mg, putting Trump right at the far end of the dosage.
