A politician pounding pavement, pressing palms, and pumping hands at parades, picnics, prayer breakfasts, and packed halls expects sore skin by sunset. He doesn't expect pundits peering at his knuckles like detectives dusting for fingerprints.
Public service produces wear, while political obsession produces theater.
Pictures showing light bruising on President Donald Trump's left hand triggered a sudden surge of protection. How silly was it that the White House continually blamed constant handshaking for chronic venous insufficiency, a common vein condition that affects circulation?
That calm clarification barely slowed the stampede toward suspicion.
A Stampede of Self Styled Specialists
Cable chatter quickly curdled into a medical masquerade, with bloggers playing back-room House diagnosticians, and headlines hinted heavily, speculated stylishly, and suggested sinister scenarios without settling on specifics.
Chronic venous insufficiency affects millions, especially older adults. Symptoms included swelling, discoloration, and easy bruising. Doctors diagnose and manage it daily. It rarely signals a sudden decline.
Still, panic proved profitable, while perspective played poorly on screen.
Compassion Carefully Calculated
Concerns sound noble until memory intrudes. During Joe Biden's presidency, visible verbal vacillation, physical faltering, and frequent confusion drew fierce rebukes toward anyone who dared notice.
Questions became cruel, curiosity became callousness, observation became offensive, and commentators sermonized about decency and dignity while demanding silence.
Physical stumbles earned sympathetic spin; cognitive lapses received charitable cover.
Now?
A nasty bruise invites breathless breakdowns.
Altruism Adjusted by Allegiance
Authentic concern remains steady, regardless of surname or party, while selective sympathy signals strategy, not sincerity. The sudden swell of solicitous sound bites surrounding Trump's left hand feels carefully choreographed.
Doctors spoke plainly, explanations arrived promptly, medical monitoring continues, and transparency prevailed.
Despite all this information, none of that satisfied alarmists addicted to ambiguity, where anxiety attracts attention, and when alarm amplifies audiences.
Facts rarely compete with fear.
A Familiar, Formulaic Frenzy
History shows that political panic follows a predictable pattern: minor marks morph into central mysteries, where mundane moments become manufactured melodrama. Trump strides briskly, while critics carp about balance. When Trump jogs confidently, critics question coordination.
Meanwhile, Biden slowly shuffled, blankly stared, and stumbled repeatedly. His defenders cited fatigue, lighting, footwear, long days, or E.) All of the Above.
Then things changed: Language softened, standards shifted, and concern conveniently disappeared.
It's a standard script, with the only change being the subject.
Hours and Human Limits
U.S. presidents meet people relentlessly, gripping, grasping, and greeting for hours on end. The left is conveniently forgetting that aging arms bruise faster: veins weaken, skin thins, while anybody who's worked a long rope line understands the ache that settles into hands and wrists.
The explanation remains stubbornly sensible: Trump worked the crowd, and the crowd worked his hand. Reality rarely rivals rumor for ratings, but reality still matters.
What the Frenzy Reveals
The bruising matters less than the behavior surrounding it when performance panic replaces principled perspective. The press pretends to worry while winking at its audience; health becomes a political prop rather than a human concern.
Compassion loses credibility when it bends to the ballot; concern curdles when consistency collapses. A bruise quickly fades, while a double standard stubbornly lingers.
Final Thoughts
Handshake circuits always end the same way: Palms pound, fingers fatigue, the crowd cheers, bruises fade, and bias always remains.
Performative panic persists long after the soreness subsides.
Compassion that shifts with power proves hollow, and steady standards still matter, even when they fail to trend.
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