The internet was buzzing with memes about Donald Trump’s[1] death toward the start of Labor Day Weekend, after a journalist noted that the President had no official events scheduled for the holiday.
The news came days after the President was spotted trying to cover up a mysterious bruise on his hand, and one day after J.D. Vance[2] issued a statement saying that he felt ready to step in if, “God forbid,” a tragedy occurred. Here’s a recap of why #WhereIsTrump and #TrumpDead[3] are still trending online, hours after he was spotted golfing in Virginia with his granddaughter.
Where Did The Rumor About Trump Missing In Action Originate?
In late August 2025, people noticed that Trump was covering up a patch of skin on top of his hands with foundation, with subsequent photos revealing a strange bruise blooming below his knuckles. This initial news was enough to set off Twitter fingers speculating his death, but it wasn’t until Labor Day weekend that people went from jokes to being truly convinced something was off.
On August 28th, Vice President J.D. Vance gave an exclusive interview to USA Today, assuring viewers that Donald Trump was in “incredible health,” but also asserting that, given the experience of 200 days as VP, he felt prepared to take over if something bad were to happen to the President.
This news later became coupled with reports that Trump had not been seen publicly for three days, and he did not have any public appearances or events scheduled for three more.
How Did Internet Users React To Speculation That Trump May Be Dead?
Initial reactions rolled in after J.D. Vance’s comments were misconstrued online, with one news headline reading, “VANCE SAYS HE’S READY TO BE PRESIDENT WHILE PRAISING TRUMP’S HEALTH.” X user @lukeisamazing posted a meme where Bart Simpson said, “What an odd thing to say,” while X user @SammiRaeMurrat posted an image of J.D. Vance greeting the Pope[4] days before his death and said, “He’s going to do it again.”
Other internet users were more taken with Laura Rozen’s post about Trump’s calender being cleared ahead of Labor Day weekend, with gimmick acount @DidDTrumpDie tweeting, “Yeah he likely died LOL” and gathering over 140,000 likes, and X user @anarchoboognish tweeting, “Meme loading” alongside an image of Donald Trump next to Impact Font text that read, “Claims to be pro-life…”
How Did Trump React To All The Discourse About His Death?
Trump didn’t directly address all the rumors swirling around his death, but his press pool did release photos of him golfing with his grandchildren at the Trump National Golf Club in Sterling, Virginia. X user @lynn_of_cait posted a press image of Trump golfing over Labor Day weekend, writing, “Trump found alive. Country Devastated #whereistrump #trumpdead.”
But even official photos uploaded to Getty were not enough to convince people that Trump was alive and well, with memes about him being puppeteered around the golf course, Weekend At Bernie’s style, running rampant online, as seen in this post by X user @DatChaosGuy.
Also on August 30th, Redditor /u/Dandan0005 posted an image with the caption, ” The photo of Trump golfing today…,” gathering over 49,000 upvotes in a day.
For the full history of Labor Day Weekend Donald Trump Death Rumor, be sure to check out Know Your Meme’s encyclopedia entry[5] for more information.
References
- ^ Donald Trump’s (knowyourmeme.com)
- ^ J.D. Vance (knowyourmeme.com)
- ^ #WhereIsTrump and #TrumpDead (knowyourmeme.com)
- ^ J.D. Vance greeting the Pope (knowyourmeme.com)
- ^ Know Your Meme’s encyclopedia entry (knowyourmeme.com)