President Donald Trump’s doctor addressed what appeared to be red markings on Trump’s neck Monday, saying he was undergoing a “preventative skin treatment” using a “very common cream.”
“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,” Dr. Sean Barbabella, the president’s personal physician, said in a statement.
Barbabella added, “The President is using this treatment for one week, and the redness is expected to last for a few weeks.”
The red, irritated skin was visible Monday as Trump spoke at the White House at a Medal of Honor ceremony. It was also seen in photographs taken during his State of the Union address last Tuesday at the Capitol.
Barbabella didn’t specify what cream Trump is using and didn’t explain the purpose of the preventive treatment.
Trump, who will be 80 years old in June and is the oldest person to be elected president, has faced questions about his health over the last year. He frequently has bruises on his hands, for example, which he said in early January were a side effect of taking a higher dose of aspirin than his doctors have recommended.
“They say aspirin is good for thinning out the blood, and I don’t want thick blood pouring through my heart,” Trump told The Wall Street Journal. “I take the larger one, but I’ve done it for years, and what it does do is it causes bruising.”
The White House said in February 2025 that one bruise seen on his hand at the time was the result of Trump’s shaking hands.
Trump had his annual physical exam in April. In October, the White House said he had undergone another “routine yearly checkup” that month. Trump told reporters later in the month that he had an MRI scan, but he didn’t share any other details other than that it was “perfect.”
Barbabella said in December that the scan was of Trump’s cardiovascular system and abdomen and that all of the imaging was “perfectly normal.”
“The purpose of this imaging is preventive: to identify issues early, confirm overall health, and ensure he maintains long-term vitality and function,” he said.
Trump told the Journal in January that the imaging was actually a CT scan, not an MRI scan.
