Washington, 30 Aug

The phrase “Trump is dead” began trending on X on Saturday, with thousands of posts speculating about US President Donald Trump’s health.

The trend comes shortly after Vice President JD Vance said he was ready to take over if a tragedy struck.

During an interview, Vance said that he is ready to lead the country if "God forbid" there is a "terrible tragedy", as he hoped that President Donald Trump would serve his full term.

Shortly after, Trump was seen with a bruised hand during his White House meeting with South Korean President Lee Jae Myung.

In this backdrop, X users claimed that Trump had not been seen for several days – despite him posting on Truth Social – and had skipped a Cabinet meeting.

The White House had dismissed concerns over Trump’s bruised hand, saying that it was due to frequent handshakes and aspirin. Trump, notably, is the oldest American President to take office.

Several X users also claimed that the White House flag was flying at half-mast, something they took to be a sign of tragedy. However, the flag was flown at half-mast due to the Minneapolis mass shooting.