Donald Trump Syphilis Rumor

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About

Donald Trump Syphilis Rumor refers to speculation that former President Donald Trump is afflicted with the sexually transmitted disease syphilis after he made a public appearance on January 17th, 2024, with red lesions on his hands that some believed looked similar to the lesions of syphilis patients. The rumor caused the hashtag "#SyphilisDon" to trend on Twitter / X as users speculated and made various jokes about the possibility, while others pointed out that they resembled hand blisters that are common among avid golfers.

Origin

The idea that Donald Trump could be living with an undisclosed or undiagnosed STD has pervaded some online discussion during the years since his ascent to political power in the mid-2010s. For example, in February 2017, The New Republic^[1] openly wondered if Trump's erratic behavior was the cause of an undiagnosed STD.

On January 17th, 2024, Trump appeared in New York for a court appearance relating to E. Jean Carroll's SA allegation against him. There, he was photographed waving to the crowd with notable red marks, spots or lesions on his hands (shown below).

After the photo was published by The Daily Mail,^[2] social media users began to speculate on what may have caused the lesions on Trump's hand. Twitter user @JonCoopertweets^[3] was one of the first to mention the possibility of syphilis in a January 17th tweet that gained over 2,400 retweets and 9,000 likes in two days (shown below).

Spread

Also on January 17th, 2024, shortly after the idea of Trump having syphilis began spreading on Twitter, user @Lynneallo^[4] posted a comparison between a hand with syphilis and Trump's hand, claiming the lesions looked very similar. The tweet gained over 370 retweets and 960 likes in two days (shown below).

On January 18th, Twitter user @MikeSington tweeted a video of Democratic strategist James Carville saying he believes Trump has "secondary syphilis," gaining over 4,400 retweets and 16,000 likes in one day (shown below).

As variations on #SyphilisDon^[5] trended on Twitter, others offered alternative theories for the cause of Trump's hand sores. One prevalent theory is that they could be blisters from playing golf, as Trump is a known, avid golfer. For example, on January 18th, 2024, Twitter user @dunmesedupaaron^[6] said they looked like "golf hands," gaining over 60 retweets and 130 likes in one day (shown below, left).

The same day, Twitter user @coopsimms,^[7] responding to a theory on MSNBC that suggested Trump got blisters from banging a table in court, also speculated the sores were blisters from golf, gaining over 100 retweets and 1,600 likes in one day (shown below, right).