President Trump's doctor on Monday addressed what appeared to be red markings on the president's neck by saying that 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," Sean Barbabella, the president's personal physician, said in a statement to NBC News.
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 on Monday as Trump delivered remarks at the White House at a Medal of Honor ceremony. It was also seen in photographs taken during the president's State of the Union address last Tuesday at the Capitol.
Barbabella did not specify the cream Trump is using and didn't explain the purpose of the preventative 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 has been recommended by his doctors.
“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 Feb. 2025 that one bruise seen on his hand at the time was the result of Trump shaking hands.
Trump had his annual physical exam in April 2025. In October, the White House said the president had received another “routine yearly checkup" that month. Trump told reporters later in the month that he had an MRI, but didn't share any other details other than that it was "perfect."
Barbabella said in December that the MRI was of Trump’s cardiovascular system and abdomen, and said 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 Wall Street Journal in January that the imaging was actually a CT scan, not an MRI.
