Doctor Weighs In On Donald Trump’s Mysterious Red Hand Marks That Sparked Wild Theories

President-Elect Donald Trump, in one of the public appearances this year, sparked curiosity because of his hands. His hands caught the camera's and the public's attention because of the very unusual red markings on it. Social media was flooded with wild theories about the condition, prompting medical professionals to offer logical explanations.

Trump's red hand marks drew attention as he left his Manhattan residence for E. Jean Carroll's defamation trial. People turned the incident into a very viral moment on the internet and their speculations ranged from "hand herpes" to many more sensational medical conditions. Dr. Joshua Zeichner, a dermatology professor at Mount Sinai Hospital, gave a more professional perspective on the whole situation. "Rashes on the hands can be caused by a variety of factors, ranging from infections to inflammatory conditions to external exposures," he explained and went on to clarify his professional theories about the skin condition, as per Business Insider.

The causes explained by the doctor were very simple and weren’t anything to worry about. Dr. Zeichner started with the condition of excessive handwashing. This aligned with Trump's self-proclaimed "germophobe" status—which could have led to skin irritation that caused the red spots. Another cause speculated by Dr. Zeichner was cold winter temperatures, which might also contribute to dry, reddened skin. Trump is a big golf enthusiast and Dr. Zeichner, without leaving any page unturned, reasoned friction from repeated golf club grips for the skin marks and said it could potentially cause blisters as well.

One particularly interesting possibility Dr. Zeichner mentioned was the "margarita burn." He explained that a chemical reaction caused by citrus juice exposure to sunlight can cause red marks. On the other hand, people know that Trump has never consumed alcohol after the demise of his brother so the doctor clarified that even a citrusy mocktail could theoretically create similar skin welts.

The talk of his marks didn’t just come from doctors; political pundits and late-night hosts jumped in on the drama around it as well. James Carville, a Democratic strategist, made some very intriguing guesses. He stated, "They don’t look like cuts to me . . . I think there’s a good chance this man has the clap.” He even mentioned that he checked with "a number" of people who suggested it might be "secondary syphilis." Meanwhile, Jimmy Kimmel kept it light, joking that Trump "probably got his hands in a container of curly fries or something," as per The Daily Beast. 

When Trump was directly asked about the cause during the Fox News interview, he initially tried to dodge the question. Later he suggested it might be the result of artificial intelligence. This answer raised more and more questions later. Eventually, the speculations got cold when an anonymous source close to Trump's campaign explained that the marks were allegedly from a simple paper cut. Later images that day showed the marks had completely disappeared.