No, Trump isn’t dead, netizens are just ‘speculating' his health and 'manifesting'

The internet is a wild place. Within a few hours, ‘Trump’s death’ has trended all over social media and become one of the day's most searched queries.

The speculations came about due to claims on the US President’s declining health and a lack of public appearances. According to verified sources, Trump is alive and doing fine.

The rumours began early last week when the US president appeared to have a purple bruise on his right hand. The bruise was first seen when Trump met with French President Emmanuel Macron in February 2025. Unlike the last time when he used a mismatched foundation, he did not cover up the bruise with makeup.

The White House physician said that the bruise was caused by soft tissue irritation due to frequent handshakes and aspirin use. There were also reports of Chronic venous insufficiency, a condition that causes leg swelling, after photos of Trump's legs were circulated, but officials said that Trump is in fine health.

Speculation continued after US Vice President JD Vance spoke to USA Today, saying in an interview that he was prepared to step in if "a terrible tragedy” were to befall Trump. He had also emphasised that the president was in incredibly good health and had incredible energy, but that unforeseen events could not be ruled out.

X users had a field day with posts about the speculations. Posts cited the president's lack of a public schedule on August 30-31 as a reason to believe the rumours. Several hashtags like #TrumpDead, #DidDonaldTrumpDie, and #WhereIsTrump are all trending and racking up millions of views and thousands of likes.
One netizen said, “People celebrating that Trump might be dead are gonna miss him when JD Vance becomes president.”