What is going on with Donald Trump's hand?
New York, New York - A photo of Donald Trump with what looked like blood on his hands seems to have broken the internet, but has the speculation gone too far?
On Wednesday, January 17 Trump was seen waving to reporters as he exited a Manhattan courthouse after attending a tense hearing for his defamation trial with writer E. Jean Carroll.
A particular photo, which seems to show red splotches on Trump's right hand, has sent the political world and social media down a rabbit hole of speculation in an attempt to explain.
One of the most popular theories, which has been pitched by political commentator James Carville, is that the markings are sores.
"I've asked a number of MDs what medical condition manifests itself through hand sores," Carville claimed in a video, "and the answer is immediate and unanimous."
"Secondary syphilis," he said. "I think there's a good chance this man has the clap!"
The theory has since taken off with social media users sharing countless memes at the former president's expense as well as further speculating on a number of other alarming diseases that could cause the markings.
"Donald Trump won't see your syphilis hands tweets, but your friends with syphilis hands will, and perhaps this will inspire them to seek treatment," one user joked. "Keep 'em coming!"
Morning Joe speculates that Donald Trump threw a "tantrum" in court
Another wild theory was presented on a recent episode of the MSNBC show Morning Joe, where the panel took turns shooting out a number of possibilities.
"Is it Magic Marker?" host Joe Scarborough asked. "Because it looks like he has a sore on his index finger there. I don't know. Maybe it's Magic Marker."
Legal analyst Lisa Rubin recounted how, during the trial that day, "Trump, very frustrated with Judge Kaplan, banged his hands down on the table."
"I doubt that [the marks seen there] come from that," she added, "but could they be exacerbated by that? Perhaps."
"Yeah, like a toddler having a tantrum, perhaps," weighed in host Willie Geist, "and causing bleeding to his hand."
The "truth" about what happened to Donald Trump's hand
After the photo was taken, Trump traveled to New Hampshire where he and other candidates in the Republican primaries have been aggressively campaigning ahead of the state's caucuses on January 23.
He held a rally that night in Portsmouth where he was captured in plenty of photos without the mysterious markings on his hand.
This may rule out a number of theories, as the markings seem to have been easily removed, like stains from a marker or the dried remains of ketchup.
But it could also be that Trump, who is widely believed to wear heavy amounts of makeup and bronzer, may have masterfully disguised the alleged sores.
At the end of the day, the explanation may even be something as simple as Trump having slipped on ice, as it was a frigidly cold winter morning in NYC that day.
It was clearly a calculated decision for him to flash his "bleeding" hand at photographs, however, which managed to help keep Trump at the center of the media's attention.
The "truth" is that no one really knows for sure what is going on with Trump's hand except for the former president himself and maybe those in his closest inner circle. Until he publicly addresses it, the world will just have to keep on speculating.
Cover photo: CHARLY TRIBALLEAU / AFP