Speculation over Donald Trump’s health flared up online over the past few days after several days without a public appearance, but the president reemerged Saturday morning, very much alive.
Trump made the appearance dressed in a white polo shirt, black slacks, and his trademark red “Make America Great Again” cap. He was spotted outside the White House just before 9 a.m. and was accompanied by his granddaughter, Kai Trump, as the pair got into a vehicle bound for his golf club in Sterling, Virginia.
#TrumpIsDead trending
The brief gap in his public appearances had created a wave of rumours on social media, with hashtags such as #TrumpIsDead and #WhereIsTrump climbing the trending on X and other platforms late Friday and into Saturday. The discussion became prominent after the White House released an empty public schedule for Labour Day weekend, four days after Trump’s last on-camera event, a cabinet meeting earlier in the week.
Critics and commentators seized on the silence. Rick Wilson of the Lincoln Project even joked on X about the timing, comparing it to Pope Francis’s passing earlier this year after meeting Vice President JD Vance.
Trump remained active on Truth Social
Although reporters did not catch a glimpse of him Friday, Trump remained active on his social media platform, Truth Social. He reacted strongly to a federal appeals court decision that rejected aspects of his tariff policy, vowing that his trade measures would ultimately stand.
“All tariffs are still in place,” Trump wrote. “This partisan court may try to undercut us, but America will prevail. Losing the tariffs would cripple our financial strength, we must stay strong.”
