Donald Trump may have walked into FIFA’s made-for-TV ceremony expecting applause, but internet trolls had other plans.

The president had traveled a few blocks from the White House to the Kennedy Center in Washington on Dec. 5, where FIFA President Gianni Infantino presented him with the inaugural FIFA Peace Prize.

Trump stepped onstage to accept a newly minted FIFA peace medal, but the shiny hardware wasn’t what hijacked viewers’ attention.

The viral FIFA photos sparked a fresh wave of jokes and speculation as viewers zeroed in on Trump’s swollen hand and the unusually soft handshakes that followed. (Photo by Emilee Chinn – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)

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As the commander in chief reached out for a handshake on the Kennedy Center stage, cameras caught what many online immediately fixated on something more distracting: Trump’s noticeably swollen hand.

The moment the images hit social media, many online users were anticipating the president’s signature power grip. Trump avoided the handshake that has defined so many of his appearances with world leaders. For years, he has greeted people with a forceful pull-and-squeeze maneuver meant to assert control. But this time, the aggressive move was nowhere to be found.

“Not to mention Trump is being dominated in that handshake. His entire hand is being gripped like a parent pulling a toddler,” wrote one person on Threads. In contrast, another claimed, “This why he couldn’t give his aggressive handshake. His hand was too swollen!”

View on Threads

Viewers quickly linked the moment back to Trump’s signature pull-and-squeeze power handshake — a move he’s used for years to rattle rivals — while also noting how selectively he seems to deploy it. After their fiery online exchanges, many expected him to try it on New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani. Instead, Trump offered a noticeably gentle grip and a soft pat that felt more ceremonial than controlling.

It echoed a past moment with Vladimir Putin, when the U.S. president appeared ready to assert himself before settling into an awkward, subdued handshake after the setup fizzled.

However, Getty images captured the two leaders shaking hands: Infantino reached with his left hand while Trump extended his right hand, exposing a bandage that Infantino’s thumb briefly touched.

“What’s wrong with Grandpa’s hand? What’s going on? What are they hiding?” asked one X user.

One person zoomed in even further: “Right hand swollen to the size of a catcher’s mitt and a big old bandage on the back of it.”

Another cracked, “I noticed that too! Swollen piggy!” In the midst of people cracking more jokes about Trump’s appearance, some showed genuine concern about the president’s health.

Viewers even speculated that Trump could be dealing with edema — the medical term for fluid retention that causes swelling in the body’s tissues. One person warned, “Not a good sign if the swelling has moved from the feet and legs to the hands and belly,” while another zeroed in with a blunt question: “Is that for real? That looks like sausage stuffed inside a rubber glove! He’s really in bad shape!”

As the jokes piled up, users revived one of Trump’s oldest public sensitivities — the size of his hands.

The long-running storyline one of Trump’s oldest public sensitivities — the size of his hands returned instantly: Marco Rubio joking about his proportions, Mika Brzezinski’s “Made For Little Hands” cereal box, and Trump’s own defensive “Look at those hands! Are they small hands?” from his 2016 debate stage moment.

Strangely, almost no one even brought up the time Trump reposted a photo of himself praying on his knees — only for critics to drag the image for giving him six fingers. The overlap between old taunts and new swelling made the conversation impossible to quiet.

Even with Trump’s team insisting he is in “excellent health,” the scrutiny hasn’t slowed.

Videos of Trump’s wobbly walk — along with lingering questions about his posture, ankles, and overall gait — have been circulating for months. The FIFA moment simply added another close-up to an already growing tape. Jokes, theories, and Relentless zoom-ins of his swollen grip overshadowed the event, the prize, and everything else in the room. All anyone could talk about was the power handshake he didn’t give.

‘Is That Real?’: Trump’s Power Handshake Gets ‘Dominated’ by World Leader as Fans Zoom In on His Swollen Hand the ‘Size of a Catcher’s Mitt’