The online world had its doubts, but yes, Donald Trump is alive.
Trump’s televised appearance in the Oval Office on Tuesday doubled as a proof-of-life test for the conspiracy-minded after a week’s worth of speculation that he was gravely ill or worse.
The topic “#Trumpdead” had been trending on X. Yet there he was, indisputably among the living and taking swipes at the usual foils: California Gov. Gavin “Newscum,” the “fake news,” mail-in voting and crime in Democratic-run cities. He even worked in a mention of the once-mighty University of Alabama football team’s losing to Florida State on Saturday.
When did he learn of his demise? a reporter cheekily asked him.
Trump, 79, said he had gotten reports that, because he hadn’t been spotted much in recent days, something was amiss. He hadn’t been seen in public from Tuesday afternoon until Saturday morning, following a more-than-three-hour on-camera Cabinet meeting, the longest of his term.
“I knew they were saying: ‘Is he OK? How is he feeling? What’s wrong?’” he said. “I was very active this Labor Day” weekend, which included golf outings at his club in northern Virginia and repeated posts on his social media platform.
Trump may be a victim of his own ubiquity. He is in front of the cameras so often that when he’s not, people notice and may leap to conclusions that he’s ill.
Trump has jumped to similar conclusions himself when it comes to political opponents. For years, he has relentlessly cast doubt on Joe Biden’s vitality and mental fitness. Since he returned to office, he has depicted Biden as the infirm puppet of controlling aides who used an autopen to mask his decline.
Trump renewed the attack Tuesday, saying of Biden: “We know he wasn’t in the greatest shape.”
Feeding the online rumors was a persistent bruise on the back of Trump’s right hand, which at times has appeared to be covered in makeup. In February, the White House said the bruise was the result of Trump’s “constantly working and shaking hands all day every day.” His doctor wrote in July that Trump takes aspirin as part of a “cardiovascular prevention regimen” and that the bruising is a side effect.
As a candidate, Trump benefited from the internet, raising millions online and using social media to spread viral messages. Now, in his second term, he is coping with an online audience that examines every pixel in his photos and is quick with a diagnosis, informed or not.
Trump has faced questions about how transparent he has been about his health. His former physician Dr. Harold Bornstein said Trump once dictated a statement describing his health as “astonishingly excellent,” even though the statement was released under Bornstein’s name. In 2019, during a surprise trip to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, Trump asked personnel to sign nondisclosure agreements, and he initially declined to talk about the reason for the visit, which was later revealed as a routine colonoscopy.
His vice president may have also fueled questions about Trump’s health. In an interview with USA Today on Aug. 27, JD Vance said he feels “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.”
Then Vance added: “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.”
Trump also referred to his mortality Aug. 19 in an interview on Fox News, telling the channel: “I want to try and get to heaven if possible. I hear I’m not doing well. I hear I’m really at the bottom of the totem pole.”
He reiterated his thoughts about the afterlife in a fundraising appeal over the weekend as his health drew widespread speculation online.
Source: NBC News
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