United States. Crazy rumors on social media: Why does Donald Trump have to justify being alive?

All it takes is for Donald Trump to not speak publicly for three days for the internet to go into overdrive. Since the beginning of last weekend, a wild rumor has taken over social media: the American president is seriously ill , or even dead.

Since Friday, approximately 104,000 mentions of the hashtag "Trump dead" have been recorded on the X platform, generating a total of 35.3 million views, according to an analysis by NewsGuard, an organization that fights disinformation. On Google, searches for "Trump death," "Trump health," and "Trump announcement" have also skyrocketed across the Atlantic.

How did it come to this? The US executive revealed this summer that Donald Trump, the oldest man ever elected president of the United States, suffered from chronic venous insufficiency , a widespread and benign condition . The visible bruises on his right hand also caused a stir, and the White House had to explain that they were caused by the billionaire's "frequent handshakes" and his taking aspirin as a cardiovascular treatment.

Nothing to worry about for the president's doctor, Sean Barbarella, who declared Donald Trump "in excellent health." However, starting on August 29, 2025, "anti-Trump accounts on X, Bluesky, and Instagram began circulating rumors" about the Republican, based on "out-of-context and manipulated images," NewsGuard notes.

On TikTok and X, users noted— with screenshots to prove it —that all roads leading to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, near Washington, were closed. This, they claimed, was a sign that the American president was being treated there for a serious illness. However, in reality, police officers and journalists insisted that the surrounding roads were indeed open.

Others online claimed that Donald Trump had suffered a stroke, as a photo of him taken this weekend showed him with a deep line above his eye. However, NewsGuard discovered that the original image had been digitally altered using an artificial intelligence tool.

Some even suggested the head of state was dead, citing the fact that a White House flag was flying at half-mast. Donald Trump had actually ordered this measure last week to honor the victims of a school shooting in Minneapolis .

Vice President JD Vance's statement deemed suspicious , promise of a big announcement, a tight smile ... On social media, Americans are looking for every clue that could help them learn more about their president's health. Even analyzing the shape of his earlobe, which has apparently changed.

@adrianeffect I literally had to borrow cartilage from the dead just to fix my breathing. That's how irreversible cartilage loss is. And yet we're supposed to believe Trump's ear healed perfectly from a bullet wound? Without reconstructive surgery? This ain't adding up. #trump #nose #politics #cult #blowthisup #fyp #parati ♬ original sound - adrianeffect

Upon his return to the cameras on Tuesday, Donald Trump attempted to quash these wild rumors, claiming they were " fake news ." He's not sure he convinced everyone, judging by the comments posted after his press conference. "He doesn't look well," "this is definitely a pre-recording, the bruise on his hand isn't there," and "this was filmed before he died, guys," read one post on TikTok. Welcome to the post-truth era.