US President Donald Trump (Image: AFP via Getty Images)
White House officials are denying rumours that President Donald Trump is hospitalised or dead, as speculation swirls online regarding his low public profile over the Easter weekend. White House communications director Steven Cheung wrote on X: “There has never been a President who has worked harder for the American people than President Trump.
“On this Easter weekend, he has been working nonstop in the White House and Oval Office. God Bless him.” The administration’s rapid response X account also pushed back against the conspiracy theories: “Deranged liberals cook up insane conspiracy theories when @POTUS goes 12 hours without speaking to press. Fear not! President Trump literally never stops working.”
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Much has been made of bruising on Donald Trump’s hands (Image: AFP via Getty Images)
The rumours intensified after the White House called a press “lid” at 11 am Saturday, signalling no further public events that day. Mr Trump, who is 79, has remained at the White House rather than travelling to his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida.
His Sunday schedule listed only “executive time” in the morning and a “Family Easter Dinner” with First Lady Melania Trump in the evening. He has not publicly addressed the ongoing search-and-rescue operation for a missing US fighter pilot whose plane was downed over Iran.
This is the first such incident involving a US pilot shot down behind enemy lines since 2003. In a brief phone interview with The Independent on Friday, Mr Trump declined to detail potential US actions if Iranian forces capture or harm the airman: “Well, I can’t comment on it because — we hope that’s not going to happen.”
Despite the silence on the rescue mission, he did post on Truth Social on Saturday afternoon, sharing video of what he described as a “massive strike” on Tehran. President Trump wrote: “Many of Iran’s Military Leaders, who have led them poorly and unwisely, are terminated, along with much else, with this massive strike in Tehran! President DONALD J. TRUMP.”
Steven Cheung, White House Communications Director (Image: Nathan Posner/REX/Shutterstock)
This is not the first time Mr Trump’s health has sparked intense online speculation. He has faced repeated scrutiny over visible bruising on his hands, which the White House has attributed to frequent handshaking combined with his use of higher-than-recommended doses of aspirin for cardiovascular prevention.
Photos have shown persistent discolouration, sometimes covered with makeup, prompting questions about his overall condition.
He was also diagnosed with chronic venous insufficiency, a common age-related issue causing leg swelling, though doctors have described it as benign with no signs of deeper problems like blood clots.
Mr Trump’s most significant past health scare came in October 2020 during his first term, when he tested positive for COVID-19 and was hospitalised at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center for three nights. At the time, his condition was more serious than initially portrayed publicly.
His blood oxygen levels dropped into the 80s, he required supplemental oxygen on at least two occasions, and he was treated with remdesivir, the steroid dexamethasone, and an experimental antibody cocktail.
Officials later acknowledged concerns that he might have needed a ventilator.
The current rumours of a Walter Reed visit or worse appear to stem purely from social media chatter, with no evidence of any hospital activity or emergency. White House officials insist the president is simply focused on work amid the fluid situation in Iran.
As with previous episodes, the situation highlights how Mr Trump’s age and visible signs of ageing continue to fuel public discussion and conspiracy theories whenever he steps out of the spotlight—even briefly.