President Donald Trump has sparked health concerns once again after he was seen with what appeared to be a bright red rash on the side of his neck.
Photos taken Monday during a Medal of Freedom event at the White House showed what looked like a large, red rash and scabs on the right side of the 79-year-old president’s neck that spread from his ear to the back of his head.
White House physician Dr. Sean Barbabella excused the irritation in a statement to The Independent, saying: “President Trump is using a very common cream on the right side of his neck, which is a preventative skin treatment, prescribed by the White House Doctor.”
“The President is using this treatment for one week, and the redness is expected to last for a few weeks,” Barbabella added. He did not say why the cream was prescribed or what it was.
During the ceremony Monday, Trump was also sporting a bruise on his right hand, which, as usual, was covered by a thick layer of makeup. The new mystery rash only adds to the mounting scrutiny he has faced over his physical health and mental acuity after becoming the oldest president to be sworn into office.
The president’s well-being has previously been questioned after he was photographed with bruised hands — and then with makeup to cover the bruises — as well as swollen ankles.
White House officials tried to ease concerns by blaming the hand bruises on “frequent handshaking.” However, Trump told The Wall Street Journal in January that the bruises come from taking a higher dose of aspirin than doctors recommend, which he has done for years.
“I’m a little superstitious,” he said. “They say aspirin is good for thinning out the blood, and I don’t want thick blood pouring through my heart. I want nice, thin blood pouring through my heart. Does that make sense?”
The president also said that he applies makeup to his hand after he gets “whacked again by someone” and that “I have makeup that’s, you know, easy to put on, takes about 10 seconds.”
At the time of the interview, Barbabella said that Trump takes aspirin for “cardiac prevention.” But the president takes 325 milligrams daily instead of the common low dose of 81 milligrams.
The president’s cognitive health has also been called into question during his second term. Trump has been filmed with his eyes shut during Cabinet meetings and in the Oval Office, though the president says he doesn’t sleep a lot.
“I’ve never been a big sleeper,” he told the Journal, adding that he just closes his eyes to relax.
“Sometimes they’ll take a picture of me blinking, blinking, and they’ll catch me with the blink,” he added.
Last July, White House officials announced that Trump had been diagnosed with chronic venous insufficiency — which was to blame for his swollen ankles.
The condition affects millions of Americans and is not a serious health threat. It occurs when a person’s leg veins don’t allow blood to flow back up to the heart.
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