Speculation about President Donald Trump’s health once again lit up social media after a photograph from a recent Ultimate Fighting Championship event was pushed online with a sensational claim — that the president was secretly wearing a medical catheter beneath his suit.

The image, taken during Trump’s appearance at a UFC event in early June, shows newly crowned UFC women’s bantamweight champion Kayla Harrison placing her title belt around the president’s waist. Almost immediately, critics on platforms like X, TikTok, Facebook and YouTube seized on the moment, alleging a visible line in Trump’s pant leg was not a crease or shadow, but medical tubing.

One widely shared post went so far as to claim Trump was wearing a Foley catheter, asserting that a tube was allegedly running down his leg and draining into a bag. The posts were accompanied by mocking commentary and quickly spread across partisan corners of the internet.

But a closer look at the available evidence tells a very different story.

Video footage and high-resolution photographs from the UFC event show Trump walking, standing and interacting normally with fighters and attendees. In many images, his suit jacket partially covers his upper legs, casting shadows that make it difficult to distinguish natural folds in fabric from anything else. When slowed down and paused at multiple angles, the footage reveals no consistent or verifiable sign of medical equipment beneath his clothing.

The White House forcefully rejected the claim.

In a statement, White House spokesman Steven Cheung dismissed the allegations as another example of online conspiracy culture targeting the president.

“The president has been the most transparent commander-in-chief in modern history,” Cheung said, pointing to Trump’s recent medical evaluation, which declared him to be in excellent condition. Cheung blasted the rumor as politically motivated nonsense driven by what he called “Trump Derangement Syndrome,” accusing critics of spreading baseless theories while having previously downplayed President Joe Biden’s health concerns.

Trump attended the UFC event on June 7 in New Jersey, where he was warmly received by fans and fighters alike. Official White House photos from the night confirm the authenticity of the moment with Harrison, though not every angle captured the president’s lower body clearly.

Medical experts note that Foley catheters — which are used to drain urine from the bladder when patients cannot do so themselves — involve visible tubing and collection bags that are typically difficult to conceal beneath tailored clothing without obvious signs. Images provided by major medical institutions show the tubing running externally to a bag, which would be challenging to hide during a public appearance involving movement, standing and walking.

Further examination of the controversial image reveals similar shadowing on both of Trump’s pant legs, strongly suggesting lighting and fabric folds — not medical devices — were responsible for the appearance that fueled the rumor.

The catheter claim is not the first health-related conspiracy to circulate online about Trump. Earlier this year, critics speculated without evidence that the president was wearing a hidden leg brace following a brief stumble while boarding Air Force One. Those claims were also rejected by the White House and medical professionals.

In April 2025, Trump’s physician, Navy Capt. Sean Barbabella, publicly stated that the president was in “excellent health” following a comprehensive medical evaluation. Trump has also passed cognitive assessments and routinely maintains a demanding public schedule.

While Trump has acknowledged occasional minor health issues in the past — including a stumble on airplane stairs and a skin irritation photographed in 2024 — none of those incidents support the dramatic conclusions now circulating online.

As has become increasingly common in the digital age, a single image, stripped of context and amplified by political hostility, once again sparked viral misinformation. Despite the noise, no credible evidence has emerged to support claims that President Trump was wearing a catheter at the UFC event — leaving the allegation firmly in the realm of internet speculation rather than fact.