Trump issues strange response to a viral rumour that he 'died' over the weekend.
The POTUS is usually on top of his social media game, whether it's on X or his personal platform Truth Social. So when his online presence went dark over the weekend, people noticed.
What started as speculation about Trump's empty public schedule and some recycled photos showing bruising on his hand quickly spiralled into a full-blown internet conspiracy theory that left '1.3 million user engagements' wondering if the president had actually died.
By Saturday noon, search terms like 'is Trump dead' and 'Trump dead' shot to the top of Google's trending searches, while 'Where is Donald Trump' was blowing up on X.
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During a press conference on Tuesday (2 September), a reporter finally asked the 79-year-old president if he knew that millions of people on social media thought he was dead.
"No," he replied. "Really? I didn't see that."
The president admitted he was aware that people were questioning his health because he saw 'reports,' but claimed he had no idea the conspiracy theory had gone as far as people thinking he'd actually died.
"That's pretty serious stuff," he added during the Oval Office press conference, which was supposed to be about announcing a new location for the US Space Command. "I knew they were saying, like, 'Is he okay? How's he feeling?' I had heard that, but I didn't hear it to that extent."
In fact, Trump clarified that he was 'very active' over the Labor Day holiday weekend.
The politician was last photographed on Monday (1 September) outside the White House in golf attire, heading to his motorcade. He was also spotted Saturday, leaving the White House with his granddaughter, Kai Trump, on their way to Trump National Golf Club in northern Virginia.
There's since been official updates regarding Trump's health.
Back in July, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt had to address visible bruising on Trump's hands, explaining it was due to 'frequent handshaking and the use of aspirin.' She also mentioned he had mild swelling in his legs, calling it a 'benign and common condition' for people over 70.
Trump's physician, US Navy Captain Sean Barbabella, said in April that he found the president to be in 'excellent health.' To confirm his own health status, Trump posted on his platform, Truth Social: "NEVER FELT BETTER IN MY LIFE".
True to form, Trump eventually blamed the whole thing on "fake news" and accused the media of spreading the conspiracy theory.