On social media, reactions poured in. One Twitter user joked, “Gotta hand it to him. He doesn’t let a little thing like tertiary syphilis impede his social media game.” Another quipped, “Maybe Donald Trump can use bleach to get rid of whatever is growing on his hand.”

Despite these speculations, Trump was seen waving to cameras outside Trump Tower, heading to Manhattan federal court for a defamation trial brought by columnist E. Jean Carroll, who accused him of rape in the 1990s.