US President Donald Trump has quashed rumours of his death by posting a golf photo. Photo / Getty Images
US President Donald Trump has quashed rumours of his death by posting a golf photo. Photo / Getty Images
US President Donald Trump has quashed rumours that he has died.
Social media exploded last week with thousands of unverified claims that the 79-year-old Commander-in-Chief had died after he had been out of the public eye for two days – with hashtags #whereistrump and #TRUMPDIED being used in posts.
Butthe following day, Trump took to his Truth Social platform to share a photo of himself playing golf with American football coach Jon Gruden, 62, at the Trump National Golf Club in Sterling, Virginia.
The Republican politician captioned the post with: “Great playing Golf with Jon Gruden - A really nice guy, and true character!”
The rumours about Trump’s death intensified when the conspiracy theorists pointed out that he had no events scheduled for this weekend – which is unusual because President Trump typically makes some form of public appearance.
Neither the White House nor Trump have commented on the rumours about his death.
On August 27, Vice-President JD Vance, 41, added fuel to the fire by saying that he was ready to assume the position of Commander-in-Chief if a “terrible tragedy” occurred.
During an interview with USA Today discussing his first 200 days as Vice-President, he said: “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.
“And if, God forbid, there’s a terrible tragedy, I can’t think of better on-the-job training than what I’ve gotten over the last 200 days.”
Vance also insisted that President Trump – whose upper right ear was injured by a bullet fired by a 20-year-old gunman Thomas Matthew Crooks during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, in July 2024 – is “the last person making phone calls at night, and the first in the morning”.
False rumours about Trump’s health came after he had regularly been photographed with what appears to be a bruise on his right hand – often covered up with makeup – which The White House insists is due to the frequent handshaking he does.
A bruise is visible on the back of US President Donald Trump's right hand during a meeting. Photo / Getty Images
A spokesperson said earlier this year: “President Trump is a man of the people, and he meets more Americans and shakes their hands on a daily basis more than any other president in history.
“His commitment is unwavering, and he proves that every single day.”
