Washington DC - The White House has insisted that President Donald Trump is using some form of a preventative treatment on the blotchy red rash that has crept its way up his neck.

The White House has reaffirmed claims made by Trump's physician on Monday that the president is using a preventative treatment for his rash, but refused to share any additional information about the condition.

An image taken by an AFP photographer during a White House event on Monday triggered a massive outcry after Trump's neck appeared to feature a red-brown rash that was covered in nasty-looking scabs.

"President Trump is using a very common cream on the right side of his neck, which is a preventative skin treatment prescribed by the White House doctor," presidential physician Sean Barbabella said in a statement after the pictures went viral.

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"The president is using this treatment for one week, and the redness is expected to last for a few weeks," Barbabella said.

When White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt was subsequently asked about the skin condition, she sidestepped the question entirely and repeated Barbabella's explanation.

"I don't have anything additional to add to the physician's statement that we provided to all of you on those questions, but I know that the statement said that the redness on the neck will dissipate within the next couple of weeks," she said.

The lack of clarity around Trump's skin condition has triggered numerous questions and fueled conspiracy theories about the state of the 79-year-old's health.

In January, Trump tried to explain away a massive bruise on his hand by saying that it was caused by frequent handshaking and his excessive use of aspirin.