Overview
- White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the bandages and bruising are from constant handshakes and a daily aspirin regimen.
- Recent photos have shown pronounced bruising on the president’s hands and swelling in his lower legs.
- On CNN’s The Lead, Jake Tapper rejected the explanation and cited the MRI, saying there is something about the president’s health the public is not being told.
- David Axelrod criticized what he called a persistent lack of transparency and said the White House should provide facts.
- Alyssa Farah Griffin warned that absent a clear medical answer speculation will grow, noting officials offered the same explanation in July.