Trump explains mysterious hand bruises, bleeding in WSJ interview

WASHINGTON ‒ President Donald Trump addressed mysterious bruises on his hand as he dismissed concerns about his health in a new interview, attributing the noticeable discoloring to his heavy aspirin intake.

The 79-year-old Trump, the oldest president to ever take office, also denied falling asleep at meetings, explained why he doesn't exercise and said he underwent a CT scan, not an MRI as he previously claimed, in a defiant interview with the Wall Street Journal on his health.

"My health is perfect," he told the newspaper.

Here are five takeaways from what the Journal described as an "impromptu phone interview" that came after the newspaper shared details about its reporting on Trump's health with the White House.

Trump explains hand bruises and makeup

Trump said taking large doses of aspirin each day has caused him to bruise easily, and that he applies makeup to cover up the discoloring.

The president told the Journal he takes 325 milligrams of aspirin a day ‒ more than his doctor recommends ‒ for "cardiac prevention." A low dose of aspirin is most commonly 81 milligrams, according to the Mayo Clinic.

“They say aspirin is good for thinning out the blood, and I don’t want thick blood pouring through my heart,” Trump said. “I want nice, thin blood pouring through my heart. Does that make sense?”

Trump said he's been taking the large aspirin dosage for 25 years and has ignored his doctor's advice to reduce the amount because "I'm a little superstitious."

In July, the White House announced Trump was diagnosed with chronic venous insufficiency that has resulted in visible swelling in his lower legs near his ankles. The condition, common among people in their 70s, occurs when veins in the legs have trouble sending blood back to the heart.

Trump said he briefly wore compression socks to reduce the swelling but stopped doing so because he didn't like the socks.

Bleeding from delicate skin

Trump's skin has become so delicate, according to the Journal's account, that his hand started bleeding at the 2024 RNC Convention in Milwaukee when Attorney General Pam Bondi nicked him with her ring while giving the president a high-five.

Trump confirmed the incident in the interview: “The ring hit the back of my hand, and, yes, there was a slight little cut."

The Journal reported the Bondi incident alarmed witnesses and is one of several instances in which his hand has been cut.

On multiple occasions in his first year back in office, Trump has been seen with a bandage on the back of his right hand.

Denies falling asleep in meetings

Despite Trump's eyes closing during some recent White House events, he denied that he fell asleep. Instead, he said he closes his eyes for relaxation.

“I’ll just close. It’s very relaxing to me,” Trump said in the interview. “Sometimes they’ll take a picture of me blinking, blinking, and they’ll catch me with the blink.”

Trump often sleeps little at night and is known to text aides or make social media posts in the early-morning hours. Trump appeared to nod off during a Dec. 2 Cabinet meeting as his secretaries spoke and a Nov. 6 Oval Office announcement on weight-loss medication.

The incidents have prompted White House staff to encourage him to try to keep his eyes open during public events, according to the Journal.

Trump has long derided former President Joe Biden over age and fitness, mocking his 83-year-old predecessor as "Sleepy Joe" while defending his own fitness.

In a Jan. 2 post on Truth Social, Trump wrote, "The White House Doctors have just reported that I am in “PERFECT HEALTH,” and that I 'ACED' (Meaning, was correct on 100% of the questions asked!), for the third straight time, my Cognitive Examination, something which no other President, or previous Vice President, was willing to take."

Doesn't like to exercise

Trump said he does not exercise ‒ outside of playing golf regularly ‒ because he finds it "boring."

“I just don’t like it. It’s boring,” Trump told the Journal. “To walk on a treadmill or run on a treadmill for hours and hours like some people do, that’s not for me.”

Trump, known for eating greasy and fatty foods like hamburgers and french fries, takes rosuvastatin and ezetimibe to control his cholesterol and uses mometasone cream to treat a skin condition, Sean Barbabella, Trump's physician, said in an April report on the president's physical.

Trump credited his parents, who were active in their senior years, for his energy. “Genetics are very important,” he said. “And I have very good genetics.”

Trump says he took a CT scan, not an MRI

For months, Trump has said he took an MRI exam during an October visit to Walter Reed Medical Center.

But he corrected himself in the interview with the Journal, saying he actually received a CT scan.

"It wasn’t an MRI," Trump told the Journal. "It was less than that. It was a scan."

Barbabella confirmed in a statement that Trump received a CT scan “to definitively rule out any cardiovascular issues." The scan revealed no abnormalities. Trump's doctors initially told the president they would perform either an MRI or a CT scan, and ultimately chose the latter, according to Barbabella.

Reach Joey Garrison on X @joeygarrison.