Trump says heavy bruise on his left hand came after he ‘clipped it on the table’

The White House said Thursday that bruising on President Donald Trump’s left hand stemmed from him hitting it on the signing table during a Board of Peace event in Davos, Switzerland, earlier in the day. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images via CNN Newsource)

U.S. President Donald Trump said Thursday that a large bruise on his left hand came after he bumped it on furniture in Switzerland.

“I clipped it on the table,” he told CNN’s Samatha Waldenberg aboard Air Force One.

“I put a little — what do they call it? — cream on it. But I clipped it,” he explained.

The White House had made a similar statement earlier Thursday, saying Trump hit his hand on the signing table during a Board of Peace event in Davos, Switzerland, earlier in the day.

“At the Board of Peace event today in Davos, President Trump hit his hand on the corner of the signing table, causing it to bruise,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement.

Trump said that his high does of aspirin made him prone to bruising, something his doctor has previous cited.

“I would say, take aspirin if you like your heart, but don’t take aspirin if you don’t want to have a little bruising,” Trump said on Air Force One. “I take the big aspirin, and when you take the big aspirin, they tell you, you bruise. The doctor said, ‘You don’t have to take that, sir, you’re very healthy.’ I said, ‘I’m not taking any chances.’”

A White House official shared photos of the president in Davos on Wednesday and Thursday, telling CNN: “Pictures from yesterday and this morning clearly show no bruising.”

At the start of the Board of Peace signing event, video of Trump did not appear to show heavy bruising on his hand. However, the bruising was noticeable roughly 10 minutes later after he was sitting at the table and signing several documents.

Trump has long had bruising on his right hand, which CNN has reported predated his return to the White House. But it drew more attention after he began trying to cover it with heavy makeup and bandages and shield it from cameras with his other hand. And left-hand bruising spotted late last year raised further questions about his health.

Trump told the Wall Street Journal in an interview published earlier this month that he takes a higher dose of daily aspirin than his doctors recommend, arguing “aspirin is good for thinning out the blood.”

The president’s physician, Dr. Sean Barbabella, told the Journal that Trump takes 325 milligrams of aspirin a day, arguing that it causes him to bruise easily. According to the Mayo Clinic, a low dose of aspirin, which “can help prevent heart attack or stroke,” ranges from 75 to 100 milligrams, and 81 milligrams is commonly recommended. The Mayo Clinic also says that for aspirin therapy, the daily dose “is usually between” 75 to 325 milligrams.

By Alayna Treene