Eric Trump launched a fierce defense of his father over Labor Day weekend, condemning what he characterized as malicious rumors about President Donald Trump’s health and alleged death that circulated widely on social media platforms during the president’s brief absence from public view.
The president’s second son erupted on social media after hashtags including “Trump Is Dead” and “Where Is Trump?” began trending on X on Friday, August 29, 2025. Eric Trump characterized the speculation as the work of twisted political opponents seeking to damage his father.
The 41-year-old reposted his father’s Truth Social message, where the president declared he had “never felt better in my life,” adding his own commentary that condemned what he called the radical left’s sick and twisted behavior. The younger Trump’s reaction came after the president had maintained an unusually quiet public schedule for several consecutive days.
Speculation about Trump’s whereabouts intensified following the president’s last major public engagement, a Cabinet meeting held on Tuesday, August 26, 2025. The 79-year-old president’s schedule showed no official events for Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday of that week, nor any public appointments scheduled for the Labor Day weekend.
The rumors gained additional momentum after Vice President JD Vance’s recent interview with USA Today, where he discussed being prepared to assume presidential duties in the event that a “terrible tragedy” were to occur.
By Saturday morning, August 30, social media analytics showed approximately 158,000 posts on X included the phrase “Trump Is Dead,” while another 42,000 posts stated “Trump Died.” According to platform data, posts speculating about Trump’s possible death had acquired over 1.3 million user engagements by that point.
The speculation was effectively dispelled when Trump was photographed departing the White House for his Trump National Golf Course in Sterling, Virginia, on Saturday, August 30. The president was accompanied by his grandchildren Kai Trump, 18, and Spencer Trump, 12, both children of Donald Trump Jr.
Trump spent approximately five and a half hours at the golf course on Monday, September 1, before returning to the White House. Pool reports documented his movements throughout the Labor Day weekend, showing him making multiple trips to his Virginia golf property while wearing his characteristic white baseball cap and golf attire.
The health speculation had been fueled in part by recent photographs showing bruising on Trump’s hands, which became more visible when he appeared without makeup. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt previously attributed the bruising to Trump’s frequent handshaking throughout each day.
White House physician Sean Barbarella issued a note in July 2025 explaining that the bruising was consistent with minor soft tissue irritation from frequent handshaking and Trump’s use of aspirin as part of a standard cardiovascular prevention regimen. The same month, Trump was diagnosed with chronic venous insufficiency after being seen with swollen ankles, which Barbarella described as a benign and common condition, particularly in individuals over age 70.
During the height of the speculation, some social media users claimed the White House had released old photographs from 2019 to create the appearance that Trump was alive and well. However, fact-checkers determined these claims were false, noting that the recent photographs showed Trump’s grandchildren who were visibly older than they would have been six years earlier.
Trump addressed the rumors directly during a press conference on Tuesday, September 2, 2025, expressing surprise at the extent of the death speculation. He acknowledged being aware that people questioned whether he was ill, but claimed he had not seen reports suggesting he had died. The president blamed the conspiracy theories on what he characterized as fake news and media coverage.
Critics were quick to point out the irony of Eric Trump’s outrage, noting that he had previously questioned Joe Biden’s fitness during the 2020 presidential race, warning about cognitive decline. The former president had also amplified conspiracy theories suggesting Biden had been replaced by clones and robotic entities during his presidency.
Following his social media response to the rumors, Eric Trump traveled to Hong Kong to serve as the main speaker at a major Bitcoin conference before continuing to Japan for additional business commitments.
The episode highlighted the intense scrutiny surrounding Trump’s health, given his status as the oldest sitting president in American history. The White House had previously boasted that Trump was the most accessible president in history, making his brief absence from public duties particularly notable to observers and critics alike.
