'Presidential stigmata!' Internet explodes with theories about red blotches on Trump's hand in viral photo

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: Former President Donald Trump made a dramatic entrance into a New York City court on Wednesday, January 17, donning strange red marks on his hand as he arrived to witness the testimony of his rape accuser, E Jean Carroll.

The 77-year-old former president's return to New York from a late-night campaign rally in New Hampshire set off a whirlwind 24 hours since his victory in the Iowa caucuses.

Captured by the Daily Mail, Trump was photographed leaving Trump Tower early on Wednesday morning, showcasing mysterious red cuts on his hand.

These peculiar marks emerged after he braved a snowstorm to address supporters alongside former 2024 GOP hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy.

Internet reacts to marks on Donald Trump's hands

Social media platforms buzzed with speculation about the origin of the marks.

"The former president appears to have several wounds on his right hand. Wondering if he fell," one posted on X.

"Those look like golf blisters," another insisted.

"I like to imagine this is a Hot Pocket injury," someone else quipped.

"Probably grabbed a frozen metal doorknob in Iowa. Below zero a damp hand sticks to the metal immediately, if he jerked his hand back, he left skin on the knob," another theorized.

"Don't you know? It's the Presidential stigmata!" another one joked. 

Dr Joshua Zeichner, an associate professor of dermatology at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City, shared his insights with Business Insider.

"Rashes on the hands can be caused by a variety of factors, ranging from infections to inflammatory conditions to external exposures," Zeichner said.

Zeichner offered possibilities for Trump's hand injuries, suggesting dryness and overwashing due to his germophobia, potential blisters from activities like golf, and even the curious notion of a "margarita burn" from lime juice exposure.

Despite the multitude of theories, Zeichner emphasized that pinpointing the cause without Trump's confirmation remains challenging.

He asserted, "Hand rashes could be caused by almost anything, including something as unsuspecting as bug bites."

Courtroom drama ensues at E Jean Carroll trial 

Amidst the intrigue surrounding Trump's hand injuries, E Jean Carroll took the stand in the second federal civil trial over her allegations against the former president.

Carroll accused Trump of sexually assaulting her in the 1990s and subsequently defaming her in 2022, leading to the shattering of her reputation.

During her testimony, Carroll claimed that Trump had repeatedly called her a liar and "shattered her reputation."

She insisted that she lost millions of readers and her long-held position at Elle Magazine due to the allegations and Trump's response to them.

"He called me a liar repeatedly, and it really has decimated my reputation. I am a journalist. The one thing I have to have is the trust of the readers," she testified at the first trial in April. "I am no longer believed."

Although Elle Magazine stated that her contract wasn't renewed for unrelated reasons, Carroll's lawyer, Shawn Crowley, asserted that the writer had also received violent threats from Trump backers.

Trump's attorney, Alina Habba, attempted to delay the trial, citing the former president's mother-in-law's funeral. However, Judge Lewis Kaplan rejected the bid, apparently instructing Habba to "sit down."

In her opening statement, Crowley argued that Carroll sought to hold Trump accountable for "a few mean tweets from Twitter trolls," while Trump asserted on social media that the case was built on "fabricated lies and political shenanigans," branding it as an "attempted extortion" against him.

The courtroom drama unfolded as Trump leads the Republican field in this year's presidential race, with the trial focusing on his remarks while he was president.

The legal battle stems from the first jury's findings that Trump sexually abused and defamed Carroll in 2022.

Although the jury did not find evidence to support Carroll's claim of rape, she is reportedly seeking $10 million in compensatory damages and additional punitive damages.