Trump death hoax: Why hashtag ‘TrumpIsDead’ is trending

A trending rumour about Donald Trump’s death has been circulating on social media with #TrumpIsDead, #Trumpdied, and #DonaldTrumpdeath. The speculations started circulating after JD Vance made remarks about stepping up as president if a “terrible tragedy” happens.

The claim is absolutely false, but it became a viral trend on social media, particularly on X (formerly Twitter).

 The false news was fueled by the recent comments from Vice President JD Vance in an interview with USA Today.

Vance was asked if he was ready to become President if something were to happen to Trump. He insisted that President Trump is in “incredibly good health,” but he acknowledged that “terrible tragedies happen.”

“The president is in incredibly good health… He’s got incredible energy.”

“Yes, terrible tragedies happen…. But I can’t think of better on-the-job training than what I’ve had in the past 200 days.”

He says, “I feel very confident the president of the United States is in good shape, is going to serve out the remainder of his term and do great things for the American people.”

The false rumours are sparked by the public speculations about President Trump’s health, including recent reports of bruising on his hands and an official announcement from White House that he is suffering from chronic venous insufficiency.

Adding a bizarre layer to the hoax, some social media users also cited an old out-of-context interview with The Simpsons creator Matt Groening.

Groening joked that the show will run until someone “dies,” and then quipped that when “you-know-who dies, The Simpsons predicts that there will be dancing in the streets - except President Vance will ban dancing.”

This was misinterpreted by some as a genius prophecy, adding fuel to the hoax.

This is not the first time a false rumour about a public figure’s death has gone viral on social media. In late 2023, a similar news about Trump’s death circulated after a hack of his son’s social media account.

What is the Donald Trump number as president?

Donald Trump is the 45th and 47th President of the United States of America.