Since Donald Trump began his second presidential term, several issues have raised concern—one being his apparent decline in health.
Now, Peruvian shamans have issued a warning about the U.S. president’s health. During their annual gathering to predict the fate of world leaders, one shaman warned the U.S. to prepare for serious illness.
Highlights
- Peruvian shamans predict that Donald Trump will suffer a serious illness in the coming year during their annual ritual in Lima, Peru.
- Photos show Trump's bruised hand and swollen ankles, with the White House citing chronic venous insufficiency as the cause.
- The shamans forecast the fall of Venezuelan President Maduro and conflicting outcomes for the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war.
- Past shaman predictions have been mixed, correctly foreseeing former Peruvian president Fujimori's death but missing a nuclear war prediction.
The group gathered on a beach in Lima, Peru, where they held posters of global figures, including Trump, 79, as they carried out ceremonies in traditional Andean ponchos.
A Peruvian shaman has warned of an upcoming serious illness for Trump
Image credits: Wolfgang Kaehler/Getty Images
“The United States should prepare itself because Donald Trump will fall seriously ill,” shaman Juan de Dios Garcia said during the ritual.
The gathering takes place every December and has a history of both accurate and inaccurate predictions.
Not all the shaman’s past prophecies have come true. They had predicted a nuclear war between Israel and Gaza in 2024, but that did not happen, and a ceasefire was reached instead.
However, they correctly predicted that former Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori would die within 12 months.
He passed away at age 86 in September of the following year.
Their latest warning comes at a time when Trump’s health is drawing public attention at a constant rate. Photos show bruising on his right hand, and now on his left hand, and swelling in his ankles.
The initial scrutiny began in February when Trump welcomed French President Emmanuel Macron to the White House. A photo of his bruised right hand hidden under makeup went viral, increasing concerns about his health.
When asked earlier about the bruises, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt attributed them to the fact that Trump is “constantly working and shaking hands all day, every day.”
However, the bruised hand dates back to at least November last year, when Trump was seen with makeup-covered hands in a picture shared by his granddaughter, taken during election night in 2024.
Only months later, at the FIFA Club World Cup, Trump was photographed with swollen ankles, colloquially called “cankles.” After speculation spread, Leavitt confirmed that the president had been diagnosed with chronic venous insufficiency, a condition that can cause swelling in older people.
In August, when Trump had no public events scheduled over Labor Day weekend, rumors intensified, with some even claiming Trump had passed away.
But Trump dismissed talk of his death, saying, “Although I’m still here. We had a couple of bad predictions, so that was not good. I’ve never had that feeling before.”
The shamans also predicted the fall of Maduro and conflicting outcomes for the Russia-Ukraine war
The White House has repeatedly insisted that the president remains fit for office. Officials have pointed to his “relentless work ethic” and “unmatched energy,” ignoring comments about his physical and mental decline.
The shamans also made predictions about global politics. Shaman Ana María Simeón predicted political movement in Venezuela, saying, “We have asked for [Nicolás] Maduro to leave, to retire, for President Donald Trump of the United States to be able to remove him, and we have visualized that next year this will happen.”
However, they offered conflicting predictions about the war between Russia and Ukraine. One shaman forecast a peace deal, saying both sides could raise “the flag of peace.”
Another predicted the fighting would continue. In 2023, the shamans had predicted the end of the war.
They also made predictions about Peru, with Garcia claiming that Keiko Fujimori, the daughter of the late Fujimori, would win Peru’s presidential election after three failed bids.
“The woman who dreams of ruling Peru, I have been able to see through the wachuma [ancestral plant] that Keiko Fujimori will be president in 2026,” he said.
Before the ceremony, the shamans drank hallucinogenic brews derived from the native plants of Ayahuasca and the San Pedro cactus. They are believed to give the shamans the power to predict the future.
Image credits: Wikimedia Commons/Jorge Pacheco
The shamans placed blankets with yellow flowers, coca leaves, swords, and other objects during the ceremony on La Herradura beach, channeling positive energy for the New Year.
They danced in circles and played ancestral instruments before asking for peace in the Middle East, an end to the conflict between Ukraine and Russia, and the fall of President Maduro.
The shamans also predicted natural disasters, including earthquakes and climatic phenomena.