Why Is Trump Still Using Terrible Hand Makeup?

A close-up of Trump’s makeup-covered hand on July 24, 2025. Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

For the past eight months, Donald Trump has occasionally appeared in public with large bruises on the back of his right hand, which he sometimes tries to cover with makeup. Trump and his aides initially downplayed the bruise as a normal (and perhaps even heroic!) hand-shaking injury.

“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,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt repeatedly told media outlets.

But after the president was spotted with weird hand makeup and swollen ankles, the White House admitted, very uncharacteristically, that there was more going on with his injuries. Leavitt announced on July 17 that the president has chronic venous insufficiency, a “benign and common” condition that occurs when veins have trouble moving blood back to the heart. As for the bruising, she stuck with the hand-shaking explanation — but acknowledged for the first time that aspirin, which Trump takes “as part of a standard cardiovascular prevention regiment,” is part of the cause.

Still, there’s one big question the White House hasn’t addressed: Why is Trump still using terrible hand makeup?

I don’t mean, “Why is Trump still trying to hide his hand bruise now that we all know there’s a relatively unconcerning medical explanation?” My dark under-eye circles are naturally occurring, and I still prefer to cover them with foundation and concealer.

My question: Why is the makeup Trump is using so bad? This is how he showed up to tour the renovation of a Federal Reserve building in Washington, D.C., with Fed chair Jerome Powell on July 24:

Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

To anyone who regularly uses makeup, the idea of attending a public event with a big blotch of cakey and mismatched makeup on your skin is simply mortifying. And failing to put your best face forward (or in this case, hand) when you’re going to be seeing an archnemesis? Unimaginable!

I don’t think Trump, who famously mocked Mika Brzezinski’s alleged face-lift, would extend much grace to others in a similar situation. But I can’t help but feel the tiniest bit of sympathy for him. Every time I see his bad hand makeup, it reminds me of being a 13-year-old girl stealing my mom’s CoverGirl concealer stick, which was both an awful product and the wrong color for me.

So I feel compelled to say this: Mr. President, you don’t have to go out in public like this. I know an unnatural hue is a signature Trump look, but this is too much. They’ve made some incredible foundation and concealer advances in the last 25 years. As I’ve learned from watching countless YouTube makeup tutorials, blending is key, and there are setting powders that will eliminate that bizarre sheen. Loads of YouTube videos specifically address how to cover unsightly bruises:

Also, you’re the president of the United States: You can hire a professional to do your makeup instead of relying on an inexperienced aide, applying it with your left hand, or whatever you’re currently doing. The White House press office hired a full-time stylist in the first Trump term, and Defense secretary Pete Hegseth reportedly just installed a $40,000 makeup studio at the Pentagon. Why are underlings going full-on Fox News glam every day, but not Trump?

Mr. President, if you had any real friends at the White House, they’d tell you your current hand-makeup routine just isn’t working. But since that clearly isn’t happening, I guess that task falls to me.