President Donald Trump’s hand was seen with a massive bruise earlier this week, and the White House provided a somewhat questionable explanation.

For a variety of reasons, Trump’s meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday, February 24, garnered media attention. However, a nasty-looking bruise on the POTUS’ paw was the topic of social media comments following the engagement.

A conversation started after a close-up photo of the bruise, which covers a sizable portion of Trump’s right hand’s back, made its way online. Although many people have voiced their opinions about what they think might have led to this kind of harm, the general sentiment was one of worry.

People were wondering if the president’s health condition, which has been kept a secret, was connected to the bruise.

It goes without saying that unless there is very strong evidence to support it, almost anything you come across on social media should be regarded as speculation. Therefore, when White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt addressed the issue, those expecting for a response may have sighed with satisfaction.

But that was before her response fell short of what most people had hoped for, and some even accused her of lying.

Of Trump’s bruise, Leavitt said: “President Trump 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.”

“His commitment is unwavering and he proves that every single day.”

In a follow-up statement, she stressed her point again, stating: “President Trump has bruises on his hand because he’s constantly working and shaking hands all day every day.”

As was already indicated, some people expressed their opinions about the veracity of Leavitt’s answer online.

“Why even lie? It’s obviously an IV bruise for blood testing or something. Is it a surprise to people that Trump is old and gets regular physician visits?” one wrote on X.

Another penned: “The White House just said the mysterious makeup-covered bruise on Trump’s right hand is because he is ‘shaking hands all day every day’. Yeah, no. Nope. Turns out we’re not nearly that stupid.”

It should not be surprising that many Americans are hesitant to believe what Trump and his administration say because of his history of manipulating facts to fit his narrative.

Others on X, however, appeared prepared to think that the 78-year-old president might sustain such a bruise from something as insignificant as shaking too many hands.

“My husband had to shake hundreds of hands a day, his hands would bruise too. It’s a real thing,” one person wrote.

“That’s how some old people bruise, I see grandma go through this when she hurts herself. Also takes forever to heal,” echoed another.

A third wrote: “He probably hit his hand you morons! All of you that are worried about a bruise are as stupid as I thought. So everyone that is asking doesn’t get bruised?”

Readers may recall that Trump’s medical records were made public last year, which caused considerable controversy. Trump announced in August 2024 that he would “gladly“ release his medical records to the public. However, he told reporters in October that the public already knows enough about his health.

“Yeah, my health records—I’ve done five exams over the last four years. You’ve got them all,” he said. “I’ve given