Donald Trump‘s health continues to be one of the biggest question marks of his presidency. Trump, who was seen with bruises on his hands in recent months, has now disappeared from the public spotlight for days, leading to wide speculations about the severity of his health condition.

When was Trump’s bruised hand first spotted?

The bruise on Trump’s hand was first seen in public in 2024. The dark mark appeared to be bigger when it was seen again in February as Trump met with French President Emmanuel Macron at the White House, New York Magazine reported. Trump’s bruise was also captured in a Getty photo, which stated that the President and his staff may be trying to cover the mark with makeup. As Trump’s bruise became even more visible in recent days, the public is still left with questions about his health.

What is the White House saying about Trump’s bruised hand?

Trump and his team claim that his bruise comes from too much handshaking: “It’s from shaking hands with thousands of people,” Trump said when he spoke to Time for the “Person of the Year” interview, according to New York Magazine.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt continued to echo Trump’s explanation when she spoke with NBC News: “President Trump has bruises on his hand because he’s constantly working and shaking hands all day every day,” she said.

Still, the President’s team gave a different explanation during a press conference in June.

“I know that many in the media have been speculating about bruising on the president’s hand and also swelling in the president’s legs,” Leavitt said at that time. “So in the effort of transparency, the president wanted me to share a note from his physician with all of you today.”

As she proceeded to read a note from Dr. Sean Barbabella, Leavitt revealed that Trump is diagnosed with “chronic venous insufficiency.” The doctor’s note, according to Leavitt, states that it’s a “common condition, particularly in individuals over the age of 70.”

What are health experts saying about Trump’s chronic venous insufficiency diagnosis?

The Cleveland Clinic states that Chronic venous insufficiency is a result of damaged veins in the legs. CVI damages the valves in the leg veins—which are supposed to keep blood flowing to the heart, the Cleveland Clinic states. The damaged veins lead to swelling, ulcers and other symptoms. Although the symptoms may be mild at first, doctors say it can lead to serious complications over time.

What did JD Vance say about the possibility of taking over for Trump?

In an interview with USA Today, JD Vance said he’s prepared to step into Trump’s role if necessary.

“I’ve gotten a lot of good on-the-job training over the last 200 days,” the Vice President told USA TODAY. “If, God forbid, there’s a terrible tragedy, I can’t think of better on-the-job training than what I’ve gotten over the last 200 days.”

Still, Vance didn’t show any concerns about Trump’s health: “The president is in incredibly good health,” he said. “He’s got incredible energy.”