Bruise on Donald Trump's Hand Sparks 'Game of Thrones' Comparison — "He's Got Greyscale!"

When a president is in the spotlight of the Oval Office, everything they do is under a microscope. Whether it's justified or not, every single move, every single twitch, and every single falter becomes prime fodder for prime-time news segments and the internet's meme factory.

President Donald Trump sparked some concerns in August 2025 after revealing a dark, large bruise covering the back of his right hand.

But the internet, as unserious as only the internet can be, saw only one possibility: He's been infected with greyscale, a magical affliction from the world of Game of Thrones. Here's what we know about Trump's "greyscale diagnosis."

To give some context, if you aren't familiar, "greyscale" is a magical disease that afflicts the unlucky in the world of Game of Thrones. Those who catch it develop scaling and lesions on the body, which resemble a grey scale-like texture. The disease is eventually fatal and can be extraordinarily painful (via Screen Rant). It can cover the sufferer from head to toe, often starting with the extremities, and can eventually move to the internal organs and brain, which is what causes death.

It's the look of the disease that has drawn comparisons to Trump's hand, after an Aug. 25, 2025, press conference revealed the existence of a dark bruise covering the back of Trump's right hand. The bruise, well into the "purple" stage of bruising, had some lighter gray covering to it, suggesting a scaly gray appearance. The gray was likely due to dry and thin skin, not uncommon in a person who is nearly an octogenarian.

Nonetheless, the memes were quick to arise. All it took was one person posting an image of Trump's hand alongside an image of greyscale from Game of Thrones for people to start drawing the comparisons.

And, of course, the internet did what the internet does best. In some memes, Trump's head is photoshopped onto the image of Ser Jorah, being treated for greyscale by a nervous Samwell Tarly, studying to be a maester in the Citadel.

One meme reads, "he needs to be taken to the Citadel!"

Some users have taken this as a sign that the president is dying, especially on the heels of the White House revealing that he has Chronic Venous Insufficiency (CVI). Some memes have even pointed out the fact that Queen Elizabeth II sported similar bruising on her hands shortly before she died.

Yet others have pointed out that it's not uncommon for those with CVI and/or in their seventies to take blood thinners, which can lead to extensive bruising even without an underlying deadly cause.

Whatever the case may be, Trump's so-called "greyscale hand" is making the rounds, and while not everyone is laughing about it, it's definitely a marked departure from discussion about the Epstein Files or Trump's takeover of Washington D.C. with military troops.