Viral claims that US President, Donald Trump is seriously ill or even dead have continued to circulate online, despite his public denial.
According to AFP, manipulated images and out-of-context photos have fueled the misinformation, which gained traction after Trump missed public appearances last week.
At a White House press conference, Trump dismissed social media rumours about his health as “fake news,” following the 79-year-old’s absence from several events.
Since last Friday, the hashtag “Trump dead” appeared about 104,000 times on the Elon Musk-owned platform X, generating 35.3 million views, according to NewsGuard.
Some users cited online maps showing road closures near Maryland’s Walter Reed National Military Medical Centre as proof of a serious health crisis.
Investigations found no credible reports of road closures. Other posts showed an ambulance outside the White House, claiming it signalled a health emergency.
The image, however, was taken in April 2023, when Joe Biden was still in office.
Some users also shared photos of the White House flag at half-staff, claiming Trump had died.
According to reports, the flags were actually lowered to honour victims of a school shooting in Minneapolis.
A digitally enhanced image alleging a stroke on Trump’s face was also debunked, with the original photo showing no signs of any problem.
The misinformation persisted even after Trump stated on Truth Social over the weekend: “NEVER FELT BETTER IN MY LIFE.”
One Bluesky account later falsely claimed that the “White House just announced” the president was dead.
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