Trump's bandaged hand visible for fifth straight day at Kennedy Center Honors

Without makeup or bandages, bruising had often appeared on Trump’s right hand, which the White House had attributed to aspirin use and handshakes
PUBLISHED DEC 7, 2025
President Donald Trump was seen with visible bandages on the back of his right hand for the fifth consecutive day (Getty images)
President Donald Trump was seen with visible bandages on the back of his right hand for the fifth consecutive day (Getty images)

WASHINGTON, DC: President Donald Trump on Saturday, December 6, was yet again seen with bandages on his right hand, suggesting that the condition has not improved. 

Trump, who often uses makeup to cover up discoloration on his right hand, has been observed wearing two prominent bandages multiple times throughout the week, starting with a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday amid health concerns.

WASHINGTON, DC - DECEMBER 02: U.S. President Donald Trump wears adhesive bandages on the back of his hand during a meeting of his cabinet in the Cabinet Room of the White House on December 02, 2025 in Washington, DC. A bipartisan Congressional investigation has begun about Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's role in ordering U.S. military strikes on small boats that have killed scores of people in the waters off Venezuela, which Hegseth said are intended
Donald Trump was seen wearing adhesive bandages on the back of his hand during a cabinet meeting in the Cabinet Room of the White House (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Trump's hand bandages seen at honoree ceremony and state dinner

This marks the fifth consecutive day that President Trump has been photographed with the visible bandages on his hand. They were also visible during an engagement on Thursday with the presidents of Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. 

President Donald Trump (L) presents musician Paul Stanley (R) of the rock band KISS a medal for the 2025 Kennedy Center Honorees during a medal presentation in the Oval Office of the White House on December 06, 2025 in Washington, DC. The 2025 Kennedy Center honorees are Sylvester Stallone, George Strait, the rock band KISS, Gloria Gaynor, and Michael Crawford. (Photo by Aaron Schwartz/Getty Images)
President Donald Trump (L) presents musician Paul Stanley (R) of the rock band KISS a medal for the 2025 Kennedy Center Honorees during a medal presentation in the Oval Office of the White House on December 06, 2025 in Washington, DC. The 2025 Kennedy Center honorees are Sylvester Stallone, George Strait, the rock band KISS, Gloria Gaynor, and Michael Crawford (Aaron Schwartz/Getty Images)

Their presence continued on Saturday when President Trump hosted his selected 2025 Kennedy Center Honorees in the Oval Office to award them with medals, and subsequently that evening at the State Department Kennedy Center Honors dinner. 

The president had convened the honorees in the Oval Office for the presentation before the recorded Kennedy Center Honors celebration scheduled on Sunday. Among the celebrated individuals were Gloria Gaynor, KISS, and actor Sylvester Stallone.

WASHINGTON, DC - DECEMBER 06: U.S. President Donald Trump (L) presents actor Sylvester Stallone (R) with a medal for the 2025 Kennedy Center Honorees during a medal presentation in the Oval Office of the White House on December 06, 2025 in Washington, DC. The 2025 Kennedy Center honorees are Sylvester Stallone, George Strait, the rock band KISS, Gloria Gaynor, and Michael Crawford. (Photo by Aaron Schwartz/Getty Images)
President Donald Trump presents actor Sylvester Stallone (R) with a medal for the 2025 Kennedy Center Honorees during a medal presentation in the Oval Office of the White House on December 06, 2025 in Washington, DC (Aaron Schwartz/Getty Images)

Trump makes minor slip-up, reads Stallone as 'Sly Sallone'

Meanwhile, during the Oval Office ceremony, the president also had a small slip in his introduction of Sylvester Stallone.



The 79-year-old Trump introduced the 79-year-old actor as “a friend of mine, a wonderful person, a really spectacular person, one of the true great movie stars there are,“ before going on to read his name as “Sylvester ‘Sly’ Sallone.”

White House earlier explained bruising as use of aspirin and large volume of handshakes

Without the bandages or makeup, Donald Trump's right hand consistently appears to have significant bruising.

Donald Trump's right hand had a makeup patch seemingly covering a bruise (Screengrab/C-SPAN)
Donald Trump's right hand had a makeup patch seemingly covering a bruise (Screengrab/C-SPAN)

The White House has previously attributed this to the president's use of aspirin and the large volume of handshakes he performs daily. 

When previously asked to comment on the bruising, Press Secretary Karoline 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.”

Makeup covers a bruise on the back of U.S. President Donald Trump's hand as he hosts French President Emmanuel Macron for meetings at the White House on February 24, 2025 in Washington, DC. Macron is meeting with Trump in Washington on the third anniversary of Russia's full-scale military invasion of Ukraine. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
Makeup covers a bruise on the back of US President Donald Trump's hand as he hosts French President Emmanuel Macron for meetings at the White House on February 24, 2025 in Washington, DC (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

In related news about the President's health, the White House had initially withheld the fact that President Trump had had an MRI during his last physical. The issue was never brought up until the president himself mentioned it and the media started asking questions about it.

Almost two months after President Trump took a physical, a memo was released on Monday from his physician who claimed the scan was preventive; however, some medical experts remain sceptical of that assertion.

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