The pictures hit the internet first—close‑ups of President Donald Trump stepping out of a car, his legs looking unusually swollen, and later, a handshake caught on camera revealing the back of his hand mottled with dark bruises. Within hours, social media lit up with speculation. Whispers grew into headlines. Something was wrong. Or was it?
Reporters pressed the White House for answers, so Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt stepped to the podium. Her tone was steady, but the tension in the room was thick enough to cut. Cameras flashed as she spoke of an “effort of transparency,” sharing a note from Trump’s physician after what she called a “comprehensive examination.”
She explained the swelling was from a condition called chronic venous insufficiency, which she described as both common and benign—particularly in people over 70. Trump is 79. “Importantly,” she emphasized, “there was no evidence of deep vein thrombosis or arterial disease.” As for the bruised hand? She attributed it to frequent handshaking and the blood‑thinning effects of aspirin.
Karoline Leavitt updates the press about President Trump’s swollen legs.
Luckily, it’s nothing serious.
THIS IS HOW IT SHOULD BE HANDLED. NOT covered up like Joe Biden’s illnesses!
Biden’s health is a black box wrapped in excuses.pic.twitter.com/Gxeewxl9iC
— Sibyl
(@ordinarygirl1) July 17, 2025
(@ordinarygirl1) But even as she said it, reporters’ pens kept moving. Because buried inside the explanation was a list of tests—Doppler ultrasounds, lab panels, echocardiograms—that only fueled curiosity. Why so many tests if everything was truly routine? And why now, right after those pictures went public?
Doctors outside the White House weighed in. Dr. Samuel Sundick, a vascular surgeon, told Fox News Digital that he sees chronic venous insufficiency “more frequently than almost any other complaint” in older adults. He explained how weakened valves in leg veins allow blood to pool, causing swelling and sometimes varicose veins. Treatment usually involves compression stockings or simple outpatient procedures. But he also noted, with caution, that leg swelling can signal more serious issues—deep vein thrombosis, heart failure, even kidney trouble—if not carefully ruled out.
Never noticed before but Trump’s ankles do look swollen
President Trump has been diagnosed with chronic venous insufficiency, following reports of swelling in the President’s legs, per Karoline Leavitt Luckily, it’s nothing serious.
This is how it should be handled. NOT… pic.twitter.com/ec2RpPWa5D— Victor Bigham
Dr. Marc Siegel, Fox News’ senior medical analyst, echoed that view. He said aging skin becomes fragile, bruises easily, and aspirin can amplify that effect. On air, he called the update “reassuring.” Yet he made sure to point out that he had not personally examined the president.
Meanwhile, the timeline of the photos raised eyebrows. The leg photos were snapped at the FIFA Club World Cup final in New Jersey, where Trump and Melania were seen greeting dignitaries. The hand photos appeared days later when he met Bahrain’s prime minister. The rapid spread of those images triggered a rush of speculation that the White House was trying to hide something larger—something beyond “minor soft tissue irritation.”
Leavitt doubled down, saying diagnostic studies showed normal cardiac structure and function, normal labs, and no signs of heart failure or systemic illness. She ended her briefing by repeating that the president “remains in excellent health.” But the memo itself, circulated minutes later, only seemed to invite more questions.
The president’s official medical release from April backed that up, boasting numbers most people half his age would envy. Yet the images remain, circulating online, drawing in millions of eyes.
And now, after all those tests, all those statements, all those reassurances, there’s still one thing the public can’t stop wondering… what if there’s more we haven’t been shown yet?
