Donald Trump Jr. revealed he called his father over Labor Day weekend to verify the president was still alive amid viral social media rumors claiming Trump had died.
The 47-year-old made the admission during a Wednesday, September 3 interview with Newsmax, explaining he felt compelled to check on his 79-year-old father after seeing trending posts about the president’s alleged demise.
Trump Jr. told the news outlet that he contacted his father and said “Hey, just want to make sure you’re not dead,” adding that he informed the president about the speculation circulating on social media platform X. The younger Trump noted that his daughter Kai was golfing with the president at the time of the call, and that his father appeared unaware of the death rumors entirely.
The speculation began following an August 28 interview between Vice President JD Vance and USA Today, where Vance discussed being prepared to assume presidential duties if necessary. Social media users mischaracterized his comments about readiness to serve as evidence of Trump’s declining health, despite Vance repeatedly stating the president was in good condition.
The rumors intensified during Labor Day weekend when Trump had no public events scheduled for six days following a cabinet meeting on August 26. Online posts pointed to his cleared schedule as suspicious, with one X post claiming Trump had died on Wednesday garnering 13.8 million views despite providing no evidence. The hashtags #trumpisdead and #whereistrump began trending across social media platforms.
According to social media monitoring tool Rolli IQ, the phrase “Trump is dead” appeared at least 5,616 times from August 28 to September 2 across X, Reddit, YouTube, and Bluesky. Posts containing the phrase generated more than two million likes and 122,000 shares in total, with users from Brazil and Australia also participating in spreading the claims.
Speculation was further fueled by photographs showing Trump with bruised hands and swollen ankles, along with a July medical report diagnosing him with chronic venous insufficiency. Social media users analyzed these images and his medical history to support theories about his health, with one TikTok video claiming to prove Trump had suffered a stroke receiving more than three million views before being removed.
Trump attempted to address the rumors on August 31 through a Truth Social post stating he had never felt better in his life. However, additional controversy arose when he shared what appeared to be an old photograph of himself golfing with former NFL coach Jon Gruden. Social media investigators determined the image was likely taken on August 23, not during Labor Day weekend as implied, based on Gruden wearing identical clothing in photos from the earlier date.
The president was photographed at his National Golf Club in Sterling, Virginia on Saturday, August 30, which helped dispel some of the death rumors. The White House press pool documented his movements and confirmed his presence at the golf course, where he spent approximately five and a half hours on Monday, September 1.
During a Tuesday press conference, Fox News correspondent Peter Doocy asked Trump directly about the death rumors. Trump initially responded that he had not seen the claims, calling the situation crazy and noting that he had conducted numerous successful news conferences the previous week. He indicated that taking just two days without public appearances prompted speculation about his health, contrasting this with former President Joe Biden’s longer absences from public view.
White House physician Sean Barbabella has addressed Trump’s visible health issues in official statements. The bruising on Trump’s hands was attributed to frequent handshaking and regular aspirin use for cardiovascular prevention. His ankle swelling was diagnosed as chronic venous insufficiency, described as a benign and common condition in individuals over 70 that occurs when leg veins cannot properly return blood to the heart.
Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt also previously explained that Trump’s medical conditions were routine for his age group and did not indicate serious health problems. The physician’s July memo stated there was no evidence of serious arterial disease despite the chronic venous insufficiency diagnosis.
University of Cincinnati media professor Jeffrey Blevins noted that the combination of Vance’s comments, visible bruising, health questions, and lack of public events provided fuel for online speculation. University of Michigan professor Cliff Lampe compared the situation to historical death rumors about world leaders, including Joseph Stalin, Fidel Castro, and Vladimir Putin, explaining that such rumors typically emerge when leaders limit press access or maintain secretive schedules.
Trump characterized the rumors as based on fake news during his Tuesday appearance, emphasizing that he had remained active (golfing) throughout the Labor Day weekend despite the lack of formal public engagements.