ISLAMABAD: From manipulated images to out-of-context photos, false claims that Donald Trump is seriously ill or even dead – have swirled online, with the misinformation persisting even after the US president rejected it on Tuesday.
According to the French news agency AFP, at a White House press conference, Trump dismissed the rumours as “fake news,” following the 79-year-old’s noticeable absence from public appearances last week.
Since Friday, there have been more than 104,000 mentions of the hashtag “Trump dead” on Elon Musk’s platform X, generating over 35 million views, according to misinformation watchdog NewsGuard.
Old images recycled
One widely shared claim suggested Trump was being treated at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Maryland, citing supposed road closures nearby. But there were no credible reports of such closures.
Another viral post used an image of an ambulance outside the White House, presented as recent evidence of a health crisis. In reality, the photo was taken in April 2023, when Joe Biden was still president, according to NewsGuard.
A separate claim circulated an image of the White House flag at half-staff, used as “proof” of Trump’s death. In fact, Trump himself had ordered flags lowered to honour victims of a school shooting in Minneapolis.
AI manipulation and false narratives
Some users posted an edited close-up image of Trump’s face, claiming a deep line above his eye indicated a stroke. NewsGuard determined the photo was digitally altered using an AI tool.
The falsehoods, many of which originated from anti-Trump accounts on X, Bluesky and Instagram, continued to spread even after Trump wrote on Truth Social over the weekend: “NEVER FELT BETTER IN MY LIFE.”
Broader context
The health of US presidents has long been under scrutiny, but attention has intensified in recent years, with both Trump and his predecessor Joe Biden being the oldest men ever to occupy the office.
Biden’s health was a central issue in the 2024 election, and his campaign collapsed after a poor debate performance against Trump. Trump has repeatedly accused Democrats of concealing Biden’s physical and mental decline.
