There’s an old saying in journalism: when someone shows you who they are, believe them. This week in Davos, Switzerland, Donald Trump showed the world exactly who he is—and more importantly, what he’s become. And it should terrify every American who believes the presidency demands both physical stamina and mental acuity.
Let’s get this straight: The President of the United States stood before world leaders in Davos, Switzerland, both hands visibly bruised and darkened, rambling incoherently about a hastily assembled “Board of Peace” that includes autocrats and accused war criminals while America’s closest NATO allies want nothing to do with it. And we’re all just supposed to pretend this is normal?
If you value independent journalism that isn’t afraid to ask the hard questions about power, accountability, and the future of our democracy, please consider becoming a paid subscriber. Your support keeps this work free from corporate influence and makes it possible to continue holding those in power accountable. Please subscribe now.
Donald Trump’s appearance at the World Economic Forum this week should alarm every American paying attention. The 79-year-old president displayed what can only be described as alarming physical deterioration—dark bruising on both hands that the White House keeps trying to explain away with increasingly desperate excuses about handshakes and aspirin. But here’s what they’re not telling you: healthy 79-year-olds don’t bruise like overripe fruit from routine human contact.
The White House spin machine insists Trump simply shakes more hands than any president in history. Really? More than every other president who’s ever held the office? More than Bill Clinton, the retail politician who never met a rope line he didn’t love? More than Barack Obama, who spent eight years greeting crowds? That’s the official explanation for why the leader of the free world looks like he’s been through a boxing match? And let’s not forget—the worst bruising appeared on his left hand, which he doesn’t even use for handshaking. The math doesn’t add up, folks, but then again, nothing about this administration does.
Trump himself admitted to The Wall Street Journal that he takes more aspirin than his doctors recommend, ostensibly for “cardiac prevention.” Think about that for a moment. The President of the United States is self-medicating with blood thinners against medical advice. He’s treating chronic venous insufficiency—the same condition causing his infamously swollen ankles that he tries desperately to hide behind those baggy suits. His hands are so fragile that Pam Bondi accidentally made one bleed with her ring during a high-five. This isn’t vigor. This isn’t strength. This is a man whose body is visibly failing him on the world stage.
Medical professionals will tell you that excessive bruising from blood thinners, especially when combined with vascular issues, signals serious underlying health problems. We’re not talking about cosmetic concerns here. We’re talking about a cardiovascular system under severe stress. We’re talking about a man who may be one bad fall, one wrong medication interaction, one health crisis away from a national emergency. And he’s making life-and-death decisions about war and peace.
But the physical decline is only part of the story. Watch the footage from Davos and you’ll see something equally troubling: Trump delivered a low-energy, rambling speech for the second consecutive day, losing his train of thought, forgetting which world leaders he likes and doesn’t like while they stood right next to him. “Let’s see, a couple I like, a couple I don’t like,” he muttered, actually turning to look at them as if he’d forgotten who they were. Then he caught himself and backtracked awkwardly. “No, I actually like this group, I like every single one of them. Can you believe it?”
No, Mr. President, we can’t believe it. We can’t believe we’re watching the leader of the free world struggle to remember basic information about people standing three feet away from him. This is your president, America—confused, unfocused, and deteriorating before our eyes.
The substance of this “Board of Peace” is equally absurd and deeply dangerous. Trump has assembled a rogues’ gallery including Saudi Arabia—the regime that murdered and dismembered journalist Jamal Khashoggi—Bahrain, Vietnam, and Azerbaijan, while inviting Vladimir Putin—an accused war criminal currently prosecuting a brutal invasion of Ukraine that has killed hundreds of thousands. Naturally, our actual allies like Canada and the United Kingdom said “thanks, but no thanks” to joining Putin’s fan club. Can you blame them?
This isn’t diplomacy. This is delusion. Trump claims this board will be “one of the most consequential bodies ever created,” as if slapping together a coalition of autocrats and strongmen somehow creates legitimacy. Meanwhile, the countries that share our democratic values, our security commitments, and our vision for a rules-based international order are nowhere to be found. That should tell you everything you need to know about what this “Board of Peace” really represents.
Mental health experts and former officials have been sounding the alarm for months about Trump’s cognitive decline. We’ve watched him confuse Biden with Obama, Nikki Haley with Nancy Pelosi, and entire decades of history. We’ve seen him slur words, freeze mid-sentence, and meander through incomprehensible tangents that would embarrass a middle schooler. Psychiatrists and neurologists have observed signs of dementia, noting his reduced vocabulary, confabulation, and difficulty with executive function. Now we’re witnessing the physical manifestation of a man who isn’t well enough to hold the office.
The Reagan administration successfully hid the president’s advancing Alzheimer’s disease for years, with Nancy Reagan and senior staff running interference while the commander-in-chief’s mental faculties deteriorated. We can’t afford to let history repeat itself—especially when Trump controls the nuclear codes and is making foreign policy decisions that alienate our allies while courting dictators and war criminals.
This isn’t partisan politics. This is about national security. This is about whether the American people deserve a president who is physically and mentally capable of doing the job. Every bruise, every rambling speech, every confused moment adds to a mounting pile of evidence that Donald Trump is not fit to serve. When the president can’t remember which world leaders he’s supposed to like, when his hands look like he’s been in a street fight, when he openly admits to ignoring his doctors’ advice—these aren’t minor concerns. These are red flags the size of aircraft carriers.
The question isn’t whether we’re noticing anymore. The question is: what are we going to do about it? How long will Congress remain silent? How long will the media treat this as just another quirky Trump story rather than the constitutional crisis it represents? And how long will the American people accept a president who is clearly unwell leading us through some of the most dangerous international waters we’ve navigated in decades?
The bruises on Trump’s hands aren’t just medical curiosities. They’re visible symbols of a presidency in decay, a democracy in peril, and a moment of reckoning we can no longer avoid.
Protected by WP Anti-Hacker
Leave a Reply