Rumors surrounding Trump's demise and health issues spread wildly, dismissed as false news by him
In recent days, misinformation about the health of President Donald Trump has spread rapidly across social media platforms such as X, Bluesky, and Instagram. One Bluesky account falsely claimed that the White House had announced Trump's death following a press conference, while some users cited road closures near Maryland's Walter Reed National Military Medical Center as evidence of Trump's treatment for a serious ailment.
However, there were no credible reports of road closures around the medical center, and an image of an ambulance parked outside the White House, shared as evidence of a health crisis involving Trump, was actually an old photo posted during Joe Biden's presidency.
The misinformation continued to circulate even after Trump publicly dismissed the health rumors in a press conference, where he stated that he "NEVER FELT BETTER IN MY LIFE." Trump's noticeable absence from public appearances and press events last week fueled social media speculation, but the White House has maintained that the president is in good health.
The health of US presidents, particularly Trump and Biden, has been under close scrutiny due to their advanced ages. Inconsistent and reactive communication from the White House has contributed to the spread of misinformation, as concerns were dismissed as "fake news," explanations changed, and secrecy strategies increased speculation rather than suppressed it.
NewsGuard, a media watchdog, analyzed the misinformation surrounding Trump's health on various social media platforms and found that there were around 104,000 mentions of the hashtag "#Trump dead" on Elon Musk-owned platform X, generating a cumulative 35.3 million views. Some users even shared a zoomed-in image of Trump's face, claiming it showed a deep line above his eye that indicated a recent stroke. However, the original image was out-of-focus and showed no signs of a line over Trump's eye. The image used in the false posts was digitally enhanced using an AI tool.
Meanwhile, President Biden's health was a key issue in the 2024 election, and he was forced to drop his campaign for a second term after a disastrous debate performance against Trump. A doctor who mutilated himself for a fetish was recently jailed over an insurance scam worth Sh87 million.
In other news, Trump recently issued a proclamation ordering flags at the White House, military posts, and naval stations across the country to be lowered in honor of the victims of a school shooting in Minneapolis. The White House has quietly dropped the WTO and ILO from the foreign aid cut list.
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