Donald Trump’s press conference on Tuesday was more eagerly awaited than most. Following an extended break over the US Labour Day holiday weekend, speculation about the state of his health had been running wild on social media – with many convinced that his absence from the public eye was a sure sign that the 79-year-old Commander in Chief was suffering from severe health problems.

Indeed, by Saturday 200,000 posts on X featured hashtags stating that Mr Trump had actually died.