While President Donald Trump was giving a speech in the White House Rose Garden on Monday, people noticed a strange lump in his pants leg. This made some think it might be a catheter, which is sometimes used by people with serious health problems like advanced dementia.
Photos from the event quickly spread online, and many users on social media began guessing what the lump could be. One person said it looked like Trump was wearing a catheter. Another said it might be a Foley catheter, which is used when someone has trouble controlling their bladder—a possible symptom of late-stage dementia.
This quickly caught the attention of thousands of people online. Some even pointed out that the same kind of bulge had been seen earlier when Trump attended a UFC fight. People started talking about conditions like frontotemporal dementia, which affects behavior, personality, and speech. It can also cause bladder problems.
A Foley catheter is a medical tube that helps drain urine into a bag strapped to the leg. One post online said the tube running down Trump’s pants didn’t look like a normal crease, but more like part of the catheter setup. The post joked that every step he took sounded like “a sloshing Capri Sun.”
Others suggested that the lump could be a leg brace instead. One person wrote that Trump might be wearing a brace because of a condition called “drop foot,” which sometimes follows a brain injury. They added that bladder issues often come with neurological problems, and that might explain some of Trump’s strange behavior.
Some people didn’t take the talk seriously, saying it could just be wrinkles in his pants and brushing off the concerns. Trump has always claimed he is in good health. His doctor, Captain Sean Barbabella, recently said Trump is in excellent condition, both mentally and physically. After a five-hour health check-up at Walter Reed, Trump passed all his tests, including the MoCA, a test that checks memory and thinking skills.
Trump had just returned to the White House from a weekend at Camp David and was seen walking around the lawn, looking at construction work. Some noticed his body posture looked odd while standing on a wooden plank, which only added to the public’s curiosity.
Despite all the online rumors, nothing has been confirmed. Trump’s team has not addressed the questions about whether he’s wearing a catheter or a brace.
