Despite the fact that President Donald Trump was photographed over the Labor Day holiday weekend and sent out social media posts, a conspiracy theory that he had died was trending. Things went so far that reporters asked him about the rumors Tuesday.
“How did you find out over the weekend that you were dead,” asked one reporter. “Did you see that?”
Trump said first said no, but then that he had heard something about it. However, the president also said that he was “very active” over the holiday weekend, visiting a club near the Potomac.
“I had heard that, but I didn’t hear it to that extent,” said Trump.
While on the campaign trail last year, Trump survived multiple assassination attempts and this year, it was announced that he was diagnosed with chronic venous insufficiency. Recently, there have also been rumors circulating online due to brusies seen on the 79-year-old president’s hands, though experts have noted that is common for someone his age who takes aspirin.
According to Axios, the death rumors began trickling in online amid a six-day stretch without any major public appearances by Trump. They then began to spread like wildfire on liberal accounts with posts on X, TikTok and more.
“I didn’t do any for two days and they say: ‘There must be something wrong with him,’” said Trump of his public appearances. “Biden wouldn’t do them for months.”
Indeed, Axios reported near the end of his term last summer that former President Joe Biden engaged in fewer press conferences and media interviews that the seven presidents preceding him at 164. Former President George W. Bush had the second lowest at 248 and, per the Center for American Progress, was on vacation for around 33% of his presidency, taking 977 vacation days in eight years. According to CNN, Trump did not take the typical week or two break expected of presidents in August.
Americans might be a bit wary after what Axios called “the media’s missteps in covering Biden’s decline.” More information about the health condition of the octogenarian was revealed after he left office, including a report that his team considered having Biden use a wheelchair. Biden dropped out of the presidential race last year following a much-criticized debate performance that heightened concerns about his age and health.
“Some liberal pundits see a double standard in how the press treats Trump’s fitness, pointing to his meandering speeches, online outbursts and fictional anecdotes as evidence of similar decline,” said Axios.
While Trump was active on Truth Social throughout the holiday weekend, Axios noted that his Monday post: “NEVER FELT BETTER IN MY LIFE” only fanned the flames of speculation. It also said that he has “a record of obfuscation when it comes to his medical history.”
Even before the death rumors hit a fever pitch, Vice President JD Vance, 41, said that he would be ready to take over for Trump in the case of a “terrible tragedy.” Talk show host Jimmy Kimmel mocked Vance for the smiling facial expression he wore Tuesday as Trump fielded questions about the death rumors and called them “fake news.”
Vance took the opportunity Wednesday to blame the media as well in an X post: “If the media you consumed told you that Donald Trump was on his death bed because he didnt do a press conference for 3 days, imagine what else they’re lying to you about,” he said.
It’s also notable that in the state of constant connection afforded by social media, the absence of public figures has spawned conspiracy theories in the past. Take the example of Catherine, Princess of Wales, who took time off from public engagements while undergoing cancer treatment and became the subject of social media conspiracy theories.
Writing for Vanity Fair this week, Natalie Korach said that we should buckle up for a term with more rumors to come about the president’s health.
“His tendency to engage with rumor and speculation himself and the rabidity of feeling he inspires in admirers and detractors alike both seem to play a large role,” in the velocity of the rumor mill, she said.