A large bruise on US President Donald Trump’s hand has become an unexpected talking point following his appearance at the World Economic Forum in Davos.
The clearly visible bruise has reignited public and media scrutiny over Trump’s physical condition given that, at 79, he is the oldest person to be inaugurated as US president.
Trump himself addressed the bruise aboard Air Force One on his return flight from Switzerland.
When reporters asked about the injury, Trump said: “I clipped it on the table.
“So I put a little, what do they call it? Cream on it.
“But I clipped it. I would say take aspirin if you like your heart, but don’t take aspirin if you don’t want to have a little bruising.”
The president said that he takes a “big aspirin”.
“And when you take the big aspirin, they tell you, you’ll bruise,” he added.
He told reporters: “The doctor said, you don’t have to take that, sir.
“You’re very healthy. I said, I’m not taking any chances.”
A White House official said he got the bruise on his left hand during the signing ceremony for the peace board at Davos.
They also said that he is susceptible to bruising because he takes 325 mg of aspirin daily.
Trump has previously acknowledged using heavy makeup to conceal bruises on his hands, a practice the White House has attributed to the sheer number of people he encounters and greets each day.
They said: “[The president meets] more Americans and shak[ing] their hands on a daily basis than any other president in history.”
The president recently told the Wall Street Journal: “They say aspirin is good for thinning the blood, and I don’t want thick blood going through my heart.
“I want nice, thin blood flowing through my heart. Does that make sense?”
Cardiologist Dr Jonathan Reiner said anticoagulants don’t actually thin blood.
He said: “It's not like changing something from gumbo to chicken soup, it doesn't make it doesn't make it thinner. It makes you less likely to clot.”
