The internet poked fun over Labor Day weekend about unsubstantiated rumors that President Donald Trump had died. From memes to TikToks of how his administration would prop up the Commander-in-Chief to tweets, folks online had a field day with the rumors. But they were just that, rumors, and Trump had something to say.
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Speculation about Trump’s whereabouts grew legs online after social media users noticed an “unusual silence” from Trump (who often goes viral for his comments and posts) after a White House Cabinet meeting Aug. 27.
His “absence” only added fuel to the fire, as folks online already pointed out previously circulating images of him with bruises on his hands and swollen legs. The discourse even led to trending hashtags #WhereisTrump on X, and search inquiries for “is Trump dead” and “Trump dead” were among the top searches on Google, Forbes reported.
“He’s never been this quiet for so long. No press conference, no crazy comments between the golf course and the helicopter, no new tariff announcements and insults,” one person said. A second person tweeted, “They’ll announce #TrumpIsDead September 3rd to distract from the Epstein victims.” A third X user offered “20 dollars to anyone who likes this tweet” if Trump really had kicked the bucket. The jokes continued over on TikTok.
One video, with the caption “GOP acting like Trump is still alive,” of Black content creator Raeon Artez pretending to be a “dead” Trump while someone else props him up to “sign executive orders” before “going to play a regular game of golf” as his head wobbles got over a million likes.
But another creator didn’t believe the hype. @realterrancewren said on TikTok Trump “may be sick and under the weather and needed some time to recuperate.” Folks in the comments slammed those who rejoiced over this rumored death, writing, “It’s pretty sick how many ppl want him gone and yes people spread lies way too fast.”
Another TikToker blamed the “democrats [who] started rumors about him” in the comments. A third person reasoned: “Listen, he’s had multiple threats to his life, he’s not about to televise all of his whereabouts.”
Trump put the rumors to rest (no pun intended) on Truth Social, writing, “NEVER FELT BETTER IN MY LIFE,” the New York Post reported. Trump, who became the oldest president at the time of swearing in January, was even pictured with his granddaughter Kai at the White House Saturday (Aug. 30). According to reports, he was en route to his Trump National golf course in Virginia.
Vice President JD Vance recently spoke about Trump and his health, too. Vance told USA Today: “Yes, terrible tragedies happen. But I feel very confident the President of the United States is in good shape, is going to serve out the remainder of his term and do great things for the American people.”
He added in the event of Trump’s death or if he fell ill, he can’t “think of better on-the-job training than what I’ve gotten over the last 200 days.”
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