Karoline Leavitt gives extraordinary new reason for Trump's bruised hands
The White House has a new reason for why Donald Trump's hands are consistently bruised.
The President's press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, told CBS News that Trump 'hit his hand' on the corner of the signing table at the Board of Peace event on Thursday in Davos, Switzerland, 'causing it to bruise.'
A White House official also noted Trump's aspirin usage which he has said causes him to bruise more easily.
The noticeable contusion was seen on Trump's left hand, which is not the one normally covered with makeup to conceal the discoloration of a bruise.
Trump did not appear to have the bruise at the start of the event, according to images, which showed the discoloration appeared later on.
Previously, Leavitt has said that Trump's right hand is chronically bruised because of the frequency in which he shakes people's hands.
The President told the Wall Street Journal in a New Year's Day article that he bruises easier because he is defying doctors by taking higher-than-recommended daily doses of aspirin to keep his blood thin.
Beyond the aspirin use, Trump was also diagnosed with chronic venous insufficiency, which can also increase chances of bruising.
Donald Trump donned a brand new bruise on his left hand at the Board of Peace signing ceremony in Davos on January 22, 2026
The President applauds during a signing ceremony on his Board of Peace initiative at the Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Thursday
Trump looks at his bruised hand on Thursday
Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told CBS News: 'At the Board of Peace event today in Davos, President Trump hit his hand in the corner of the signing table, causing it to bruise'
That diagnosis appeared to swell his lower legs and ankles, causing him to have a brief stint wearing compression socks. But he stopped wearing them because he didn't like the socks, according to the Journal report.
The president is dosing more aspirin than his doctors recommend because 'I'm a little superstitious,' he confessed to the Journal.
'They say aspirin is good for thinning out the blood, and I don't want thick blood pouring through my heart,' Trump went on. 'I want nice, thin blood pouring through my heart. Does that make sense?'
Instead of listening to medical advice, the 79-year-old is defying doctors' orders and relying on what he calls his 'good genetics.'
Trump is taking 325 milligrams per day, which he says he's been dosing for 25 years. He admitted that doctors have encouraged him to take a lower dosage of aspirin.
A low dose is usually approximately 81 milligrams, according to the Mayo Clinic.
Taking higher dosages of aspirin can significantly increase the severity of side effects, including more serious ones like internal bleeding in the stomach, intestines and brain – especially in older patients. But the biggest benefit is potentially avoiding a heart attack by keeping blood thinner so the flow is stronger.
Should the president ignore medical advice for personal beliefs, even if it risks his health?
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Previously, Trump's right hand has been pictured bruised and with globs of makeup that Leavitt says concealed bruises he sustained for shaking hands. Trump admits he is taking high doses of aspirin, which increase bruises especially in older people
The thinned blood also stops blood cells from clumping together to form clots, which slows the body's ability to stop bleeding from broken capillaries and leading to more noticeable and larger bruising.
Trump's right hand is often pictured with a glob of cover-up makeup that Leavitt confirms is concealing bruising, which she says is a result of the president regularly shaking people's hands.
At 79 years old, Trump is the oldest person to be elected and serve as US president.
