The White House moved quickly to shut down the frenzy, insisting the bruise on President Trump’s left hand was nothing more than a clumsy knock against the signing table in Davos. Trump himself brushed it off, saying he “clipped it on the table” and dabbed on some cream, while aides pointed to his long-disclosed daily high-dose aspirin as the reason he bruises so easily.

But the images landed in a climate already primed with suspicion. Past photos of bandaged hands, makeup-like coverups, and last fall’s precautionary MRI have kept his health under a relentless spotlight. His doctor’s December memo describing “perfectly normal” cardiovascular imaging and “excellent” heart health did little to quiet doubters who see every mark as a clue. To supporters, though, the bruise is just proof of age, workload, and superstition about stopping the aspirin — and of a president whose body, like his politics, is constantly under the magnifying glass.