‘President McCankles’: Trump’s ankles are trending online again, and not for the reasons you might expect
An old, zoomed-in image of former US President Donald Trump has resurfaced online, triggering a wave of speculation and mockery across social media. The image appears to show Trump’s sock or ankle looking unusually swollen, prompting users to guess, often sarcastically, that something is stuffed inside.The renewed attention comes amid ongoing online rumors about Trump’s health, though no official medical information has been released in connection with the image.
Viral post claims Trump had money ‘stuffed’ in his sock
The image gained traction after an X user with more than 70,000 followers, @PopularLiberal, shared it in a post on Christmas Eve. The user sarcastically alleged that Trump had money hidden in his sock.“TRUMP THINKS HE’S SLICK. THAT’S YOUR TAX MONEY STUFFED IN HIS SOCK. HE SIPHONED THE WHOLE TREASURY STRAIGHT INTO HIS ANKLE.,” the caption read.The post quickly went viral, racking up over 24,000 likes and being retweeted more than 1,100 times by Wednesday. The image shared in the post focuses closely on Trump’s ankle area, which appears swollen beneath his sock.
Netizens react with jokes and health speculation
Social media users flooded the comments with a mix of jokes, political mockery, and concern. Swollen ankles are one of the common symptoms of chronic venous insufficiency (CVI)- a vascular condition that affects blood flow from the legs back to the heart and is relatively common in older adults.One user wrote, “I always that the bulges in his socks were the overflow from tRumps diapers.”Another commented, “Finally, somebody figured that out. Also, he’s really not the president. He’s just a big collectible PEZ candy dispenser.”A third user took a more serious tone, writing, “If that’s actually his ankle, he has some major heart issues.”A fourth user said, “President McCankles.”
The context for the picture
The image circulating online is believed to date back to July 13, when Donald Trump attended the FIFA Club World Cup Final in New Jersey. Then as well the picture went viral because Trump’s swollen and bruised hands were already in news. The White House was being questioned aggressively, asking about the 79 year old President’s health. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt also attempted to quell concerns, saying, “You see the president every day, he’s working, he’s moving, he’s continuing.”
