Photos Capture President Trump’s Swollen Ankles During Oval Office Meeting With King Charles III

Photographers captured images of President Donald Trump, 79, with visibly swollen ankles while he sat beside King Charles III during the monarch’s state visit to the United States. The photos, taken on the second day of the visit, show puffiness around the ankles as the two leaders met in the Oval Office.

The president greeted King Charles III, 77, in the Oval Office on Tuesday. / Chris Jackson / via REUTERS

Medical observers say the swelling is consistent with chronic venous insufficiency, a condition Trump was reported to have been diagnosed with in July of last year. In a January interview with The Wall Street Journal, Trump acknowledged that he briefly wore compression socks to manage the condition but stopped because he "didn’t like them."

The president's ankles bulged out of his favorite Florsheim shoes. / Chris Jackson / via REUTERS

White House spokesperson Davis Ingle issued a pointed defense of the president when asked for comment by The Daily Beast, saying, "President Trump is the sharpest, most accessible, and energetic president in modern American history. The only thing swollen is Vic Verbalaitis' stupidity that will prevent him from working for a legitimate news outlet." Ingle, 32, is a communications graduate of Florida’s Southeastern University, where his father, Kent Ingle, serves as president. SEU notes that more than two‑thirds of its students study online or via extension programs at approximately 200 partner sites.

The cankles of President Donald Trump in the Oval Office, during his meeting with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on March 3. / Photo Illustration by Thomas Levinson/The Daily Beast/Reuters

Photographs from March show similar ankle swelling during a series of Oval Office meetings with foreign leaders, including German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin, and Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi. According to available images and reports, the swelling has been less visible during April.

A photo composite of Donald Trump's cankles during the Japan prime minister's visit to the White House on March 19. / Photo Illustration by Thomas Levinson/The Daily Beast/Reuters

During the royal visit, Trump also appeared to apply makeup to both hands to conceal dark, purplish discoloration. The White House has described his non‑dominant left hand as his "good" hand, suggesting the right hand has shown more pronounced bruising — which the president has attributed to a daily aspirin regimen of 325 milligrams. Trump has said the higher aspirin dose is intended to "thin the blood;" 325 mg is about four times the dose typically recommended for daily low‑dose aspirin therapy.

A photo composite of Donald Trump and King Charles with his makeup-covered left hand highlighted on April 27. / Photo Illustration by The Daily Beast/Getty

News outlets including The Daily Beast have documented other health-related episodes involving the president, citing reports of occasional confusion, visible fatigue or in‑public dozing, slurred speech at times, and a recently noted rash on his neck. Reporting on public figures' health combines photographic evidence, official statements, and medical commentary; readers should weigh statements from multiple sources for context.

What to Watch

Observers and medical commentators will likely continue to note any visible changes in the president's appearance and stamina during public engagements, and the White House may respond to further reporting with additional health updates or clarifications.