President Donald Trump was photographed leaving the White House for a round of golf Saturday morning, quashing a wave of viral social media rumors that falsely claimed he had died, Newsweek reported.
Trump, wearing a white polo, black pants, and a signature red "Make America Great Again" hat, was seen entering a vehicle on the South Lawn shortly before 9 a.m. His motorcade then headed to a golf course in Virginia, according to reporters at the White House.
The speculation began Friday, with the phrases "TRUMP IS DEAD" and "TRUMP DIED" spreading rapidly across X. By Saturday morning, more than 158,000 posts used the former phrase and another 42,000 the latter, platform data showed. At 9:15 a.m., "#whereistrump" ranked as the sixth most popular trending topic in the United States.
On TikTok, a video asking whether Trump had died because he had not been seen in public since Tuesday received 3.5 million views. One in which progressive commentator Harry Sisso dismissed the rumor had 1.7 million views.
Reagan Reese, White House correspondent for the Daily Caller, attempted to dispel the speculation early Saturday.
"I wake up to see people freaking out that Trump's sick or dead or something because he hasn't been seen in a few days," Reese posted on X. "I was with the president yesterday afternoon. I interviewed him for an hour."
The rumors echoed earlier instances when misleading online chatter fueled questions about world leaders' health.
"Last year, some right-wing users on X convinced themselves that President [Joe] Biden had died and the White House was keeping it quiet," BBC Verify journalist Shayan Sardarizadeh posted on X. "The exact same thing is now happening with some left-wing influencers on X, who seem to think President Trump is dead and a cover-up is underway."
Others noted the phenomenon highlighted growing distrust of official information.
Ian Bremmer, a political scientist and president of the Eurasia Group, posted on X, "so many times internet has gone wild with the [Russian President Vladimir] putin is dead and [Chinese President] xi [Jinping] is dead rumors. that now happening with trump says a lot more about the state of mistrust in information and institutions in the united states than it does about the health of the president."
The White House has said Trump is in good health despite speculation fueled in recent months by photos of bruising on his hands and swelling in his ankles.
Last Friday, the president's hand was covered with a noticeable splotch of makeup that did not match his skin tone.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt has said Trump's hand bruising is "consistent" with irritation from his "frequent handshaking and the use of aspirin."
In July, officials revealed he had chronic venous insufficiency, which his doctor said was "benign and common."
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
Jim Thomas ✉
Jim Thomas is a writer based in Indiana. He holds a bachelor's degree in Political Science, a law degree from U.I.C. Law School, and has practiced law for more than 20 years.
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