Donald Trump has been subject to growing health speculation after being spotted with a strange symptom on his hands.
The 45th President, who was leaving his Manhattan apartment on Wednesday, was seen with a patchwork of red markings resembling blisters on his right hand.
The blemishes were visible on Trump’s right index finger, thumb and upper palm the 77-year-old waved to cameras while departing his Fifth Avenue residence for his latest trial.
However, the marks vanished from Trump’s hand just hours later as he held a campaign rally in New Hampshire ahead of the Granite State’s Republican primary poll.
Former US President Donald Trump leaves Trump Tower for Manhattan federal court for the second defamation trial against him, in New York City
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There is growing speculation that the blemishes resemble syphilis sores but there is no actual evidence Trump has contracted the sexually transmitted disease.
James Carville, who served as an adviser to ex-President Bill Clinton, peddled the unfounded claim.
Carville said: “They don't look like cuts to me. They look like sores.
“And I've asked a number of MDs (doctors), what medical condition manifests itself through hand sores and the answer is immediate and unanimous - secondary syphilis.”
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James Carville speaks onstage during the 2019 Politicon at Music City Center
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Syphilis has four stages; primary, secondary, latent, and tertiary, each with different signs and symptoms.
The main symptoms of secondary-stage syphilis are skin rashes and/or sores in the mouth or around the genitals, as well as a rash on the palms of your hands and/or the bottoms of your feet.
Carville added: “I think there's a good chance this man has the clap.
“I'm not being particularly secretive about it, I'm texting the photo, you can link to it... maybe the picture was doctored or whatever?
Republican presidential candidate former US President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign event in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, on January 17, 2024
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Carville’s reference to the “clap” is connected to the nickname for a separate sexually transmitted disease gonorrhoea.
Trump’s appearance comes just days after he romped to victory in Iowa’s primary caucus.
The 45th President and his Republican rivals will now travel to New Hampshire for a much tighter affair.
An opinion poll conducted for CNN gave Trump a seven-point lead over Haley.
During a rally in Atkinson on Tuesday, Trump accused Haley of “artificially boosting her numbers” by appealing to “Democrats and liberals to infiltrate” the GOP primary.