President Donald Trump’s physician has said a “very common cream” used as a preventative skin treatment caused redness on the right side of the president’s neck after images from a White House Medal of Honor ceremony drew widespread attention and renewed public scrutiny of his health.
The redness and scabbing-like marks were visible above Trump’s shirt collar during the event in Washington on Monday, when he appeared in the East Room for a ceremony honouring US service members. Photographs from the ceremony showed the discoloured area extending from behind the president’s ear toward the back of his hairline, prompting questions online about whether the marks were a rash, a bruise, or the result of a medical condition.
In response, the White House physician, Dr Sean Barbabella, issued a statement attributing the visible irritation to topical treatment rather than illness or injury. “President Trump is using a very common cream on the right side of his neck, which is a preventative skin treatment, prescribed by the White House Doctor,” Barbabella said, according to statements carried by multiple outlets. He added: “The President is using this treatment for one week, and the redness is expected to last for a few weeks.”
Neither Barbabella nor the White House publicly identified the cream or the underlying reason it was prescribed, and the statement did not describe any diagnosis. The limited detail left the cause of the treatment unclear, even as the physician’s comments were presented as an effort to address speculation driven by the president’s highly visible appearance at an official ceremony.
By Tuesday, the mark appeared markedly less visible in new photographs of the president. Trump met German Chancellor Friedrich Merz at the White House, and images from the Oval Office showed the right side of his neck with little or none of the redness seen the day before. People magazine reported the area appeared to have been covered with makeup, suggesting a deliberate attempt to conceal the irritation during a high-profile diplomatic engagement.
The episode comes amid ongoing public interest in Trump’s health during his second term. The president is 79, and questions about his physical condition have periodically surfaced following public appearances in which bruising on his hands or swelling in his legs attracted attention.
Fox News reported that Barbabella’s remarks about the neck treatment followed criticism online, with some questioning why the administration would describe the cream only as “very common” while declining to provide further medical detail. The same report said health concerns intensified last year after swelling and bruising were seen on the president’s hands and swelling in his ankles, issues that the White House characterised at the time as benign and common for older adults.
According to Fox News, the White House press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, previously described a diagnosis of chronic venous insufficiency as “benign and common, particularly in individuals over the age of 70.” The outlet also reported that the administration linked bruising on the president’s hands to “minor soft tissue irritation from frequent handshaking and the use of aspirin,” citing the press secretary’s account and medical commentary attributed to the White House physician.
People magazine similarly referenced earlier explanations for bruising, reporting that the White House had previously said the marks were consistent with irritation from frequent handshaking alongside aspirin use as part of a cardiovascular prevention regimen. In its reporting on the neck irritation, People noted that Barbabella did not elaborate on why the neck cream had been prescribed, even as he said the redness could last for weeks.
The visibility of the neck marks at a Medal of Honor ceremony, an event intended to focus public attention on military valor and sacrifice, added to the intensity of the reaction. Trump was photographed in profile as he looked on during the ceremony, with the discoloured area positioned just above the collar line, making it conspicuous in close-up images.
In the hours after the ceremony, online commentary ranged from concern to ridicule, with many social media users offering unverified theories about the cause. Some posts questioned whether the marks were related to skin treatment, sun exposure, an allergic reaction, or a dermatological condition, although none of those suggestions were supported by an official medical diagnosis. Public figures also used the incident to criticise the White House’s handling of medical questions.
The Daily Beast reported that the White House responded to such speculation by circulating a statement from Leavitt condemning what she described as “armchair” diagnosis and politically motivated claims made without access to the president’s medical information. “Any so-called medical professionals engaging in armchair diagnosis or false speculation for political purposes are clearly breaking the Hippocratic Oath they’ve sworn to,” Leavitt said, according to the outlet. She added: “These are false and slanderous allegations from ‘doctors’ who are unethically speculating on health matters they have no insight into.”
While the White House physician’s statement framed the visible irritation as a predictable side effect of topical treatment, the lack of detail about the underlying reason for treatment left unanswered questions about whether the cream was being used for routine prevention, a common dermatological issue, or something more serious. The physician’s phrasing, calling the cream “very common” and describing it as “preventative,” suggested the administration wanted to reassure the public that the irritation was not evidence of a major health event.
The president’s health has been a recurring political issue across both of his presidencies, with supporters citing his active schedule and frequent public engagements as proof of fitness, and critics pointing to age-related concerns and intermittent visible signs such as bruising or swelling. The focus on his neck this week underscores how quickly brief visual moments at public events can become a larger political story, especially when the White House chooses to address them in general terms rather than releasing fuller medical information.
For now, the only official explanation remains the short statement from the White House physician describing a week-long topical treatment expected to cause redness that may persist for several weeks. Trump appeared in public the next day without the prominent mark seen at the Medal of Honor ceremony, and the White House did not publicly provide additional medical detail beyond the doctor’s comments and the press secretary’s condemnation of speculation.
