Is President Donald Trump dead? No. Still, many online insisted otherwise.
Over Labor Day weekend, internet rumors abounded over the president's health. These rumors appear to have been fueled by a lack of recent public appearances by Trump, as well as photos that appeared to show bruising on the president's right hand. Other photos that showed Trump's right hand covered in makeup didn't help quell the speculation either.
The online discourse reached such a fever pitch that Trump himself eventually commented on, discussing it during a Sept. 2 press conference from the Oval Office, his first public appearance since Aug. 26.
"I didn't do any (news conferences) for two days, and they said, 'There must be something wrong with him,' " Trump told reporters. "Biden wouldn't do them for months, you wouldn't see him, and nobody ever said there was ever anything wrong with him, and we know he wasn't in the greatest of shape."
Trump isn't the first political figure to face health scrutiny − and he almost certainly will not be the last. Remember the rumors about Senator Mitch McConnell that circulated after he froze up during a press conference? Or the scrutiny President Joe Biden faced throughout his term that reached a boiling point after his stumbling debate performance against Trump?
