Syphilis or rashes? Why red spots on Donald Trump’s hands have sparked wild speculations

Former United States president Donald Trump continues to grab headlines, be it for his many legal troubles or his prospects in the upcoming presidential elections. He is again the talk of the town, but not for something you would have expected.

From social media to television, everyone seems to be discussing Trump’s hands. The term “Trump bumps” started trending on X after the images of his right hand went viral on Wednesday (17 January). Here’s what is going on and all the wild speculations regarding the former US president’s hand.

Red spots on Donald Trump’s hand

Red marks were spotted on Trump’s right hand as he waved to the press while leaving Trump Tower, his New York residence, Wednesday morning to attend writer E Jean Carroll’s second defamation trial.

The Republican frontrunner for the 2024 US presidential race is facing the trial over his remarks about Carroll’s claim that he raped her in a Manhattan department store in the 1990s. Last May, a previous trial already found Trump liable for sexual abuse and defamation in a separate case, awarding Carroll $5 million in damages.

The second defamation trial will be limited to damages. Carroll has alleged that Trump defamed her in 2019 when he was president and is seeking more than $10 million in damages in the civil trial.

Soon after Trump’s photos emerged, people started noticing the red markings resembling blisters on his hand. Social media was abuzz with wild speculations about the odd spots on his thumb, palm, and index finger.

According to Business Insider, Trump’s pictures from his campaigning at Atkinson, New Hampshire, on Tuesday evening did not show red spots.

Syphilis, rash, or something else?

From syphilis to hand makeup, all kinds of theories were floated by political advisors to voters alike.

“They don’t look like cuts to me, they look like sores,” Bill Clinton’s former presidential campaign strategist, James Carville, reportedly said during a livestream. “I’ve asked a number of M.D.s what medical condition manifests itself through hand sores, and the answer is immediate and unanimous: secondary syphilis.”

Syphilis is a sexually transmitted disease commonly marked by the presence of sores. A common symptom of secondary syphilis is hand sores that can appear four to eight weeks after the initial infection, noted Forbes.

However, there is no actual proof that Trump has the disease.

Some wondered if it was a rash or due to some other medical condition. Others guessed he had “hand herpes” or might have fallen recently. “It’s not uncommon for 77 yo people to fall. His campaign should explain,” a social media user remarked.

“What happened to Trump’s hand?” the left-wing account Patriot Takes on X asked. “It wasn’t like this in New Hampshire.”

“Is it magic marker? Because it looks like he has a sore on his index finger there,” said Joe Scarborough on MSNBC’s Morning Joe.

“There was a point in time during the day where Trump, very frustrated with Judge Kaplan, banged his hands down on the table. I doubt that the blisters or marks that were seen there come from that. But could they be exacerbated by that? Perhaps,” MSNBC’s Lisa Rubin guessed.

US District Judge Lewis Kaplan hit out at Trump on Wednesday over his conduct during the defamation trial. The judge even threatened to throw Trump out of the courtroom due to his noisy commentary that was in earshot of the jury, reported Newsweek.

The former president had been slamming his hand at the counsel’s table.

So, what is it?

The reason might not be all that exciting. Dr Joshua Zeichner, an associate professor of dermatology at the Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City, told Business Insider that it could be a rash.

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

He said there could be four possibilities behind the rash. One is dryness and overwashing. Trump, a self-proclaimed germaphobe, has just spent many days in Arctic conditions traveling across Iowa and addressing the public for presidential caucuses, as per USA TODAY. 

The professor said blisters can also occur due to “friction from activities like golf, weightlifting, or baseball.” Trump is known for his interest in golfing.

Zeichner said that “even lime juice exposure in the presence of sunlight can cause a chemical burn to the skin,” also known as “margarita burn.”

It can also be none of these reasons as Zeichner told Business Insider that hand rashes can be caused by anything. So, it is hard to know the real reason behind those odd marks on Trump’s hands unless he reveals it himself.

Just like their sudden appearance, the red spots seem to have vanished as quickly.

As per Forbes, while the spots were visible on Trump’s hand when he was leaving his New York residence on Wednesday, hours later they disappeared from pictures and footage of him gesturing at a campaign rally in New Hampshire.

With inputs from agencies