A surge of unverified posts on X, formerly known as Twitter, has fuelled speculation about the health of Donald Trump, with some users alleging that he has been admitted to Walter Reed National Military Medical Centre or has even died.
However, reports from news agencies suggest otherwise. Trump has remained publicly active and has issued statements on the ongoing Iran conflict, indicating that the viral claims circulating online are not accurate.
Unverified claims and viral posts
Several accounts shared dramatic and unverified claims about Donald Trump’s health, often attributing the information to unnamed or unclear sources.
One X user, identifying themselves as an “American Scientist, Medical Expert, Health Economist,” wrote, “There are some reports, some speculation, and unconfirmed info coming in that Trump has been taken to Walter Reed Hospital. The White House announced that the President will not appear before the public today.”
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Readers later added context to the post, noting that the video shared alongside the claim was actually from July 2024. It showed Donald Trump leaving a hospital in Butler, Pennsylvania, after being shot during a campaign rally.
President Donald Trump's motorcade has departed the hospital. pic.twitter.com/5OXunc5JTE
— Charlie Kirk (@charliekirk11) July 14, 2024
“Speculation is rising that Donald Trump is at Walter Reed Medical Center", wrote a user on X.
Another user said, "Donald Trump is reportedly dead, according to several sources close to the President."
Claims escalate without confirmation
Posts from another account further fuelled the speculation, claiming, “Trump is at Walter Reed right now, possibly just minutes from the end.”
In a follow-up post, the same account added, “Now I’m convinced that Trump is actually dead and they’re hiding it from us.”
Several other posts read: “Confirmed: President Trump has died of a stroke at Walter Reed Hospital."
“Donald Trump has reportedly been admitted to Walter Reed Medical Centre. No official confirmation yet."
“Multiple sources close to President Donald Trump have reported his death."
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How the rumour started
According to Grok, the speculation appears to have begun with posts from the X account @MechaNews_, which claimed, “Donald Trump is reportedly dead, according to several sources close to the President.” The same account also wrote, “Donald Trump has not appeared in public for 4 days.”
Another post from the handle added, “Emergency meeting at the White House. Things are about to get real.”
Grok noted that these claims spread rapidly across the platform but were also questioned by users who pointed to the absence of credible sources backing them.
White House responds, rejects claims of crisis
As per a report by OneIndia, addressing the rumours directly, White House spokesperson Steven Cheung dismisses the claims as baseless. He says the president has been working through the Easter weekend and remains involved in ongoing responsibilities.
The response comes after the White House announced that Trump would not make any public appearances for the remainder of the day. The decision, seen as unusual for a highly visible leader, appears to have triggered speculation online.
