Donald Trump is never far away from the headlines, but of all the reasons for him to be the talk of the town,

his hands appearing bloodied or – according to some – covered by sores, is well outside the realms of normality.

Yet that’s precisely what drew the attention of those gathered outside his New York home yesterday (January, 17) as the former president left to head to court.

Close-up snaps of the man aiming to become two-time POTUS revealed a number of strange red marks on his hands, and the internet was quick to notice when the pics ultimately ended up online.

NEW YORK, UNITED STATES – JANUARY 17: Former US president and 2024 presidential candidate Donald Trump arrives at 40 Wall Street, also known as the Trump Building, to address the media following the leaving the second day of his defamation trial involving former magazine columnist E. Jean Carroll at Manhattan federal court in New York, United States on January 17, 2024. (Photo by Selcuk Acar/Anadolu via Getty Images)

At least three red marks were visible on Trump’s thumb, palm, and finger, with any number of rumors now circulating as to what they could possibly be.

James Carville, a former advisor to Bill Clinton, sensationally claimed that the marks could indicate that Trump has syphilis. Speaking on Politicon, Carville’s unverified claim played largely upon the fact that syphilis (an STI) is most commonly characterized by the presence of sores.

“They don’t look like cuts to me,” 79-year-old Carville said.

“They look like sores. And I’ve asked a number of MDs, what medical condition manifests itself through hand sores and the answer is immediate and unanimous – secondary syphilis.”

Maybe Donald Trump can use bleach to get rid of whatever is growing on his hand. You know when it hits the body…as he said about treating Covid. Syphilis is trending on Twitter….oh boy! pic.twitter.com/uFjBqqi1jr

— Island Girl – 100% Pro-Choice, Vote Blue (@bluepolitics_) January 18, 2024

As expected, people took to the internet in droves to discuss the marks.

“Gotta hand it to him. He doesn’t let a little thing like tertiary syphilis impede his social media game,” one Twitter user wrote.

Another joked: “Oh yeah. Hey, if you shook Donald Trump’s hand, you may want to get tested for syphilis immediately. Syphilis is nothing to play around with. Those are some nasty sores!“

A third quipped: “Maybe Donald Trump can use bleach to get rid of whatever is growing on his hand. You know when it hits the body…as he said about treating Covid. Syphilis is trending on Twitter….oh boy!“

As per reports, Trump was seen Wednesday waving with his right hand to cameras gathered outside of Trump Tower. He was traveling to Manhattan federal court for the second day of the defamation trail brought by columnist E Jean Carroll, who accused him of raping her in a department store dressing room in New York City in the 1990s.

“I’m here because Donald Trump assaulted me and when asked about it, he denied it,” Carroll said in court. “Now I’m known as a liar, a fraud and a whack job.”

According to Metro, Carroll is seeking $10 million in damages after another jury awarded her $5 million and found Trump liable for sexually abusing and defaming her.