What to Know
People have been talking about President Donald Trump’s hand bruises for a while, but now, another Trump administration official seems to be dealing with the same thing. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. recently attended a White House event dedicated to the Trump administration’s prescription drug website (called TrumpRx).
And while there, Getty photographer Kent Nishimura snapped a now-viral photo of RFK Jr. and Trump’s bruised hands. People see the hand bruising as one of several signs that Trump’s health might be declining. He’s tried to use makeup to cover it up, but that ends up drawing attention to his hand too, because we can all see the concealer.
So, although the makeup isn’t exactly effective, critics now think RFK Jr. could benefit from getting his own hand makeup artist because his hand is really not looking great either.
It’s hard to say whose hands look worse.
In the photo, Trump’s hand looks like it often does—discolored and seemingly covered with makeup. Meanwhile, RFK Jr.’s hand doesn’t really look any better, and it’s not clear why.
Trump has attempted to explain the discoloration by saying he takes a lot of aspirin, making him prone to bruising. Previously, the White House also said that Trump deals with bruised hands due to frequent handshaking.
Although RFK Jr. hasn’t tried to explain his own hand bruising yet, the internet is trying to make sense of it.
oh my god — Trump's hand is looking nastier than ever today
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) May 18, 2026
(Kent Nishimura/AFP via Getty)
(That's RFK Jr's left hand next to his in the first shot) pic.twitter.com/1EDFNytw7n
And there were quite a few different theories. Some people were pretty alarmed, like is whatever is wrong with Trump’s hand spreading around the White House? “What in the hell is wrong with RFK Jr’s hand?” one critic on X wrote in response to the photo. “Is it contagious?”
RFK Jr. has been open about having a parasitic brain worm in the past. A few people referenced this when commenting on the two men’s hands. “Was this caused by Tylenol?” someone wrote on Reddit. “Or are they sharing a worm?”
He has also been transparent about his heavy drug use in the past. “Captain Beef Tallow’s hand doesn’t look much better than Trump’s rotting hand,” someone else said. “I don’t know what RFK has been taking but it’s definitely f—ing with his circulation.”
And unsurprisingly, some critics also mentioned convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Reacting to the bruises, another Redditor joked, “They are just the hand stamps for re-entry to Epstein Island that refuse to wipe off.”
Some people think RFK Jr. and Trump’s hands look quite normal for how old they are.
But others would argue that this is precisely the problem: Trump and RFK Jr. are both too old. Trump is pushing 80, and at 72, Kennedy is not exactly young either. “A lot of older people get these nasty looking bruises on their hands,” someone wrote in their defense. “A simple tap against an object can cause it.”
And someone else tried to say that the image just seems to show “regular mid 70s” hands, so it’s no big deal. Critics of the Trump administration beg to differ though. “Can we please have some leaders who aren’t molting in office?” one critic commented.
“Trump and RFK Jr, just a couple of guys with totally normal hands rolling back environmental protections and pushing anti-science,” someone else added.
Speaking of the Trump administration’s policies, some people also joked that RFK Jr. could try taking his own health advice to treat whatever is going on with his hand. “Drink some raw milk and knock out some beef tallow for lunch, should clear it right up,” one of them joked.
READ NEXT: People Think ‘SNL’ Skit Is The Perfect Representation Of RFK Jr.’s ‘MAHA’ Movement
