Claims and rumours on US President Donald Trump’s health once again sent social media into a frenzy over the weekend. On Sunday, “Trump is dead” rose to the ranks in trends after a series of posts on the platform X claimed that the US President had been admitted to a hospital. But the White House later said these were “insane conspiracy theories” cooked up by “deranged liberals”.
Chatter on X amid ‘press lid’
“There are some reports, some speculation, and unconfirmed info coming in that Trump has been taken to Walter Reed Hospital. The White House announced that the President will not appear before the public today,” said a viral post by an account on X, where the user described themselves as an “American Scientist, Medical Expert, Health Economist”.
The speculation increased after the White House declared a “press lid”, stating that no public appearances would be made. While the lid was apparently due to the fact that there was an ongoing search-and-rescue operation for a missing US airman in Iran (he was eventually rescued), many netizens were quick to assume that it was because of some drastic change in the President’s health.
The announcement triggered a wave of unverified reports due to the unusuality of the post, as Trump is known to travel to his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida to play golf on the weekends.
White House says Trump ‘never stops working’
White House’s official communications account, Rapid Responses 47, addressed the speculation.
“Deranged liberals cook up insane conspiracy theories when @POTUS goes 12 hours without speaking to the press. (They said nothing when Biden routinely went 12 days without speaking to the press) Fear not! President Trump literally never stops working,” read the statement.
While speculation continued, Trump posted on Truth Social about the success of the US military rescue operation in Iran.
This is not the first time rumours regarding Trump’s health have gone viral. Earlier this year, a bruise was spotted on the US President’s hand, sparking speculation about the 79-year-old leader’s health.
Trump blamed the bruise on aspirin and blood thinners. “My health is perfect,” Trump said then in response to a reporter’s question.
Last year, speculation grew after people also noticed “swelling” in the US President’s legs. Addressing those rumours, the White House stated that Trump has been diagnosed with a “chronic venous insufficiency”.
As per White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt the widely noted discoloration on Trump’s right hand was “tissue irritation from frequent handshaking” and the use of aspirin in a “standard cardiovascular prevention regimen”.
