Fact Check: Did Donald Trump wear a catheter under his suit during his UFC 316 appearance?

NEWARK, NEW JERSEY: A viral photo has sparked claims about President Donald Trump wearing a catheter during UFC 316 held in New Jersey.

The image, doing rounds on social media on June 9, captured UFC champ Kayla Harrison, fresh off her win in the women's bantamweight division, wrapping her victory belt around Trump’s waist at UFC 316.

People across X, Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok have claimed that Trump was secretly wearing a catheter under his suit at the event.

One post declared, "Trump is absolutely wearing a Foley catheter. It's a tube inserted into the bladder to drain urine into a bag strapped to the leg. That line down his pants? Not a crease. It's tubing. Every step he takes sounds like the sloshing of a warm Capri Sun."

Fact Check: No, Donald Trump was not wearing a catheter

Snopes combed through multiple angles of Donald Trump walking around the UFC arena, including the viral clip where Harrison throws her belt over his shoulder at the 32-second mark. They reported, "There was a noticeable shadow on Trump's leg, but no evidence of a bulge as he stood at that angle."

The fact-checking news outlet even paused and zoomed in on the infamous photo and spotted a similar shadow on Trump's other leg, suggesting that what people thought was tubing might just be lighting.

Some claimed the bulge could've appeared when Harrison pulled back Trump's pants while fastening the belt around his waist. Still, Snopes pointed out there's “no way to independently verify whether this bulge is from a catheter.”

White House spokesperson Steven Cheung shut down the catheter chatter for good.

“The President has been the most transparent president in history, and the recent medical report that was released clearly and unequivocally shows he is in peak condition," he declared.

“These conspiracy theories peddled by demented individuals hiding behind social media, and now being given a platform by the fake news, clearly suffer from a debilitating case of Trump Derangement Syndrome.”

Cheung added, “These are the same people who have been caught trying to gaslight the American people for years by saying Joe Biden was cognitively fine, when in fact, he was in much worse condition than thought.”

Difficult to tell if it is a crease or tube under Donald Trump's suit

There’s no real evidence to say Trump was actually wearing a catheter at the UFC fight.

For those wondering what a Foley catheter actually is, the Cleveland Clinic defines it as a device that “drains urine from your urinary bladder into a collection bag outside of your body when you can't pee on your own or for various medical reasons.”

The setup usually includes a tube that runs discreetly down the leg, not something you'd expect to be flapping around in public.

Also worth noting is that the original photo came straight from the White House’s own uploads, though Trump's pants aren’t clearly visible in most of them. Between the shadows cast by his jacket and the camera angles, it’s tough to tell if that line is just a crease or something more suspicious.

If this all sounds familiar, it’s probably because Trump has faced similar health concerns before. Some recent pics from the White House sparked theories that he was hiding a leg brace under his suit after stumbling while climbing the steps to Air Force One, the Independent reported.

But as of April, White House physician Capt Sean Barbabella said Trump was “in excellent health," NPR reported.

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.