Donald Trump has publicly humiliated his spokeswoman, Karoline Leavitt, by contradicting her repeated assurances and apologies about his health problems.
Since Trump, 79, returned to office last January, speculation has run wild about bruises on his hands and his cognitive capacity, particularly after he underwent a mysterious scan in the fall — with the Daily Beast leading the way in reporting on the president’s various medical issues, including swollen ankles.
Leavitt, 28, has repeatedly claimed the reason for the discoloration on the back of his right hand — which the president covered with protective gear, bandages and heavy makeup — is that as a “man of the people,” Trump “meets more Americans and shakes their hands every day than any other president in history.”
While Leavitt attributed the bruises to the president’s routine aspirin use, she often led her responses to questions about Trump’s hands by blaming his handshake, including when she was questioned about the issue earlier this month by Beast political correspondent Farrah Tomazin.
“The president is constantly shaking hands, the Oval Office is like Grand Central Terminal,” she explained earlier this month.
Makeup covers a bruise on the back of Trump’s hand as he hosts French President Emmanuel Macron for meetings at the White House in February 2025. / Chip Somodevilla / Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
Days after the bruise appeared to spread to Trump’s left hand — which he doesn’t use to greet people — the president gave a revealing interview about his health to The Wall Street Journal on Thursday.
Trump offered another reason for the bruises: excessive aspirin use and his thinning skin.
He told the Journal that he takes 325 milligrams of aspirin a day — four times the “low dose” of 81 milligrams typically used in daily therapy, according to the Mayo Clinic — despite doctors urging him to take less.
The bruise is visible during a meeting with South Korean President Lee Jae-myung in the Oval Office in August 2025. / Chip Somodevilla / Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
This higher-than-recommended aspirin use, Trump said, became a central factor in the bruising seen on his hands. But he told the media that he refuses to reduce the dose because he has followed the same routine for decades and is “a bit superstitious”.
Trump also said she wears makeup because she has soft skin and bruises when she’s “busy.”
Discussing an episode in which Attorney General Pam Bondi, 60, hit him during a high-five, he told the Journal: “The ring hit the back of my hand and, yeah, it was a little cut.”
A bandage is visible on Trump’s right hand during an event at the Mount Airy Casino Resort on December 9, 2025. / Alex Wong / Getty Images
He added that he puts make-up on his hands after being “hit by somebody again”, saying: “I have make-up that’s, you know, easy to put on, takes about 10 seconds.”
Trump offered even more details about his October scan, further embarrassing Leavitt, who dismissed repeated questions about it from the White House podium.
At first, she repeatedly answered questions without naming the test and relying on written assurances about his condition. On October 23, she declined to say what test she received. On Nov. 4, pressed about why Trump had described it a week earlier as an MRI, she said she would “revisit,” while insisting she was in “optimal physical health” and calling the Walter Reed visit a routine follow-up.
Trump told people he had an MRI when he apparently didn’t, for reasons that remain unclear. / Reuters
Asked again on Nov. 12, Leavitt relied on the language of the doctor’s memo, reiterating that Trump received “advanced imaging” as part of a routine exam and that doctors deemed him to be in “exceptional condition,” without explaining why the imaging was ordered.
Leavitt’s position remained the same until Dec. 1, when Trump’s doctor, Navy Capt. Sean Barbabella, released a memo describing the cardiovascular imaging. Leavitt told reporters the screening was normal and framed the disclosure as transparency.
Even then, the White House’s preferred shorthand remained “advanced imagery” rather than a clear, consistent label for what Trump suffered.
In the Journal interview, Trump said he told people it was an MRI, but later corrected it: “It wasn’t an MRI … It was less than that. It was a scan.” He complained that getting the test gave critics “ammunition” because it fueled questions about whether something was wrong.
The Journal reported that Trump and Barbabella ultimately characterized the procedure as a CT scan performed to rule out cardiovascular problems, with no abnormalities found.
Leavitt is Trump’s loyal mouthpiece, repeating blatant falsehoods on a number of issues, even when they are patently untrue. / Anna Moneymaker / Getty Images
Leavitt is quoted in the Journal as saying the White House “often referred to the procedure as ‘advanced imaging,'” without addressing why Trump didn’t correct the description of the MRI/CT sooner.
In the Journal article, Trump also discussed his “slurs” and why he can’t seem to stay awake during public meetings.
The Daily Beast has reached out to the White House and Leavitt for comment.