Donald Trump ‘Death Conspiracy’ ROCKS Social Media: Outrage as #TrumpDead Trends Amid Fears for President’s Health
- Former US President Donald Trump has dismissed viral conspiracy theories about his death as “fake news” after they trended on social media
- Trump said he was unaware of the extent of the rumours, which began spreading over the Labor Day long weekend in America
- The rumors were fueled by Trump’s week-long break from public engagements and recent images of his bruised hands and swollen ankles
Donald Trump has been forced to address outlandish conspiracy theories about his own demise after they took the internet by storm. The former US President was asked about the viral rumours during a White House press conference, where he described them as “pretty serious” but “crazy”.
The unfounded theories, which began spreading on social media over America’s Labor Day long weekend, suggested that Trump had passed away. Hashtags such as #trumpdead and #whereistrump began trending, with some posts speculating about his health racking up over a million views.
Illinois Governor JB Pritzker even responded to a critical post from Trump, saying: “Why don’t you send everyone proof of life first?” His post was retweeted more than 6,000 times.
Trump took to his own platform, Truth Social, to insist he had “NEVER FELT BETTER IN MY LIFE” on Sunday evening, local time. On Tuesday, he said he knew people had been speculating about his health.
“I have heard. It’s sort of crazy, but last week I did numerous news conferences, all successful,” Trump said. “And then I didn’t do any for two days and they said, ‘There must be something wrong with him.’
“[Former US president Joe] Biden wouldn’t do them for months, you wouldn’t see him, and nobody ever said there was ever anything wrong with him.”
The press conference was Trump’s first public appearance after a week-long absence that fuelled online rumours. He was not asked any further questions about his health.
In July, the White House said Trump had been diagnosed with chronic venous insufficiency (CVI), a condition where weakened veins in a person’s legs are unable to effectively pump blood back to the heart.
The condition is not considered a serious health threat, but can cause pain, swelling, skin changes and varicose veins.
Trump held the press conference to announce a plan to move the headquarters for the US’s outer-space military force, Space Command, from Colorado to Alabama.