Claims spread Trump wore catheter at UFC event. Here's what we know
On June 9, 2025, a photograph of U.S. President Donald Trump spread online, claiming he was wearing a catheter under his suit while at an Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) event. The photograph in question showed fighter Kayla Harrison, who had just won the UFC women's bantamweight championship bout, putting her victor's belt around Trump's waist.
A number of posts on X, Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok made this claim. One post stated:
Trump is absolutely wearing a Foley catheter.
It's a tube inserted into the bladder to drain urine into a bag strapped to the leg.
That line down his pants? Not a crease. It's tubing.
Every step he takes sounds like the sloshing of a warm Capri Sun
(Instagram user "oldrowofficial")
We looked closely at footage of the 78-year-old president walking around at the event, as well as photographs of him alongside Harrison. At this time, we were unable to independently confirm whether he wore a catheter under his suit.
White House spokesperson Steven Cheung denied the claim in an email:
The President has been the most transparent president in history, and the recent medical report that was released clearly and unequivocally shows he is in peak condition. These conspiracy theories peddled by demented individuals hiding behind social media, and now being given a platform by the fake news, clearly suffer from a debilitating case of Trump Derangement Syndrome. These are the same people who have been caught trying to gaslight the American people for years by saying Joe Biden was cognitively fine, when in fact, he was in much worse condition than thought.
On June 7, 2025, Trump attended a UFC 316 event in New Jersey. The above photograph appears to be authentic, given that the White House posted other pictures of Harrison putting the championship belt on Trump, though his pants are not visible.
(The White House)
In most available press images showing Trump interacting with Harrison, or standing around at the UFC event, his upper leg is shadowed by his suit jacket making it difficult to determine if the bulge was just a fold in the pant leg or something else.
According to the Cleveland Clinic, a "Foley catheter" is a device that "drains urine from your urinary bladder into a collection bag outside of your body when you can't pee on your own or for various medical reasons." Images from the website show a narrow tube connecting to a bag that collects urine.
The following YouTube video compiles a range of clips of Trump walking into the UFC arena and interacting with Harrison. At the 32-second mark, Harrison puts her championship belt over his shoulder. We paused at numerous moments in the clip and found there was a noticeable shadow on Trump's leg but no evidence of a bulge as he stood at that angle.
It is possible the bulge was visible when Harrison wrapped the belt around Trump's waist, pulling his pants back. However, there is no way to independently verify whether this bulge is from a catheter.
We also zoomed in on the image in question and found a similar shadow on Trump's other leg, indicating that the bulge is likely also just a result of the angle of the light.
(Instagram user "oldrowofficial")
Many have been also claiming from other photographs at the White House that Trump was wearing a secret "leg brace" under his suit after his stumble while climbing Air Force One.
In April 2025, White House physician Capt. Sean Barbabella said Trump was in "excellent health."
Trump has frequently been the subject of speculation around his health. We previously covered an authentic video of him stumbling while climbing the stairs to Air Force One. We have also reported on unknown red sores that appeared on his hand in January 2024.
"DONALD TRUMP at UFC 316: BEST MOMENTS Nobody Has Seen." YouTube, Dario AS, 8 June 2025, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBRjcv1m3V8. Accessed 11 June 2025.
Garrett, Luke. "White House Doctor Says Trump Is 'fully Fit' in Medical Report." NPR, 13 Apr. 2025. NPR, https://www.npr.org/2025/04/13/g-s1-60074/trump-physical-medical-report. Accessed 11 June 2025.
Ibrahim, Nur. "Strange Red 'Sores' on Trump's Hand Mystify Internet, Then Disappear." Snopes, 18 Jan. 2024, https://www.snopes.com//news/2024/01/18/trump-hand-sores/. Accessed 11 June 2025.
"Kayla Harrison Celebrates with U.S. President Donald Trump and UFC..." Getty Images, 8 June 2025, https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/kayla-harrison-celebrates-with-u-s-president-donald-trump-news-photo/2219117151. Accessed 11 June 2025.
Liles, Jordan. "Yes, Video Shows Trump Stumbling up Steps to Air Force One." Snopes, 9 June 2025, https://www.snopes.com//fact-check/trump-falling-on-stairs-air-force-one/. Accessed 11 June 2025.
"President Trump Attends UFC 316." The White House, https://www.whitehouse.gov/gallery/president-trump-attends-ufc-316/. Accessed 11 June 2025.
"Social Media Speculates Trump 'Is Wearing a Leg Brace' after Air Force One Fall." The Independent, 11 June 2025, https://www.the-independent.com/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-air-force-one-fall-leg-brace-b2768113.html. Accessed 11 June 2025.
"US President Donald Trump and UFC CEO Dana White Attend a UFC 316..." Getty Images, 8 June 2025, https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/president-donald-trump-and-ufc-ceo-dana-white-attend-a-ufc-news-photo/2218515472. Accessed 11 June 2025.
"What Is a Foley Catheter?" Cleveland Clinic, https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/treatments/foley-catheter. Accessed 11 June 2025.
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