The White House has put forth a new explanation for the persistent bruises on Donald Trump’s hands.
According to Karoline Leavitt, the President’s press secretary, Trump’s recent bruise was the result of hitting his hand on the corner of a signing table during the Board of Peace event in Davos, Switzerland. This incident, she explained to CBS News, occurred on Thursday and led to the noticeable mark.
A White House representative also highlighted that Trump’s regular aspirin intake, which he has acknowledged, makes him more prone to bruising.
The bruise in question was observed on Trump’s left hand, which is typically not the one camouflaged with makeup to hide discoloration.
Images from the event reveal that the bruise was not present at its commencement, indicating it developed as the event progressed.
In the past, Leavitt mentioned that Trump’s right hand often appears bruised due to the frequent handshakes he engages in.
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.
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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.
