In January 2026, social media users discussed and shared photos allegedly showing bruising on U.S. President Donald Trump's left hand during his attendance at the World Economic Forum summit in Davos, Switzerland.
Users shared several different photos specifically from Jan. 22 purportedly showing the bruise on Trump's hand.
In short, those photos were real and were not manipulated with artificial-intelligence tools or other digital editing means.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told Snopes via email, "At the Board of Peace event in Davos, President Trump hit his hand on the corner of the signing table, causing it to bruise." (Trump held a charter-signing ceremony for the Board of Peace, an organization intended to oversee the Israel-Hamas ceasefire, in Davos on Jan. 22.) The White House also said Trump and his physicians previously tied his hand bruising to a daily aspirin regimen, and noted the bruising did not appear quite so visible on the following day.
On Air Force One on Jan. 22, Trump answered a reporter's question regarding the bruising with a similar explanation. He said, in part, "My hand, 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 like a little bruising."
In July 2025, The Associated Press reported Leavitt said the White House medical unit conducted tests on Trump after noticing "mild swelling" in his lower legs. Doctors found Trump has chronic venous insufficiency, a condition common in older adults that causes blood to pool in the veins. She also addressed bruising on one of Trump's hands, tying it to "frequent handshaking and the use of aspirin." The AP report said Trump takes aspirin to reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke.
Snopes previously reported about bruising on Trump's other hand — his right one — in March 2025. At the time, Leavitt tied the bruise to Trump "constantly working and shaking hands all day every day." Trump told Time magazine much the same in December 2024.
Authentic images of Trump's hand bruise in Davos
The Getty Images media-licensing website hosted numerous professional photos showing Trump's hand bruise during his time in Davos. The bruise did not visibly appear in a Jan. 21 Getty Images photo but did show up on Jan. 22.
For example, on Jan. 22, various photos displayed differing angles including Trump's left hand with the dark bruising. Other pictures offered a closer look, including these two photos captured by Getty Images photographer Chip Somodevilla:
(Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
(Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
A Jan. 23 photo from a different photographer provided a glimpse of Trump's left hand on the day following the bruise photos, showing pale skin rather than dark bruising — which could be due to makeup and/or the bruise naturally becoming less visible.
For further reading, we recommend our March 2025 report looking into some of the earlier bruising rumors regarding Trump's hands.