Trump Swings Back at Death Rumors With a Five Hour Golf Outing

1 September 2025

President Donald Trump and his son, Eric Trump. Credit : Joe Raedle/Getty

As Labor Day weekend unfolded, an improbable drama played out on social media, hashtags like #TrumpIsDead and #WhereIsTrump began trending, fueled by President Donald Trump’s absence from public view and images of a bruised hand and swollen ankles. But on September 1, the story took a decisive turn: Trump emerged not in a hospital bed but on the green, golfing for more than five hours at his Trump National Golf Course in Sterling, Virginia, dressed in a white baseball cap, white golf shirt, and a black windbreaker. The outing put a human face on the headlines and laid rumors to rest.

The spectacle was as much about optics as athleticism. With his golf clubs in tow and his motorcade roaring to life, Trump waved to reporters and photographers, using visibility to counter the swirling speculations about his demise. The public display came at a critical moment, following a head-spinning internet uproar that had questioned whether the president was alive.

That morning, Eric Trump, his son took to social media to strike back hard against the rumors. Sharing his father’s declaration that he’d “never felt better in my life,” Eric called the speculation “twisted” and blamed the left for stoking the fire. His post amplified a message of denial, confirming what the golf outing would soon visually reinforce.

Vice President J.D. Vance had contributed unintentionally to the storm. In a recent interview, he said he was "very confident the President of the United States is in good shape," but added a remark that, if tragedy struck, he couldn’t think of better on-the-job training a comment that inadvertently ignited viral panic.

Behind the headlines, the White House also worked to explain Trump’s visible bruises. Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt attributed them to vigorous handshaking, while the president’s physician, Dr. Sean Barbarella, cited mild soft tissue irritation and aspirin use common in senior cardiovascular care. Similarly, what looked like swollen ankles was diagnosed as chronic venous insufficiency, a benign condition expected in someone of Trump’s age, and not compromising his overall health.

Still, images of the president’s condition and erratic appearance in recent days had fueled speculation and in the age of social media, speculation moves fast. Experts note that when public figures vanish momentarily from view, the void is quickly filled by rumor. One academic observed that what began as a fleeting worry morphed into a digital wildfire.

Trump’s decision to go public with a smile, clubs in hand, and grandchildren by his side felt strategic. It delivered a message underlined by normalcy: he’s here, he’s active, and the presidency continues uninterrupted. The narrative was beautifully uncomplicated golf, not grief.

Looking ahead, this episode may serve as a cautionary lesson for modern leadership. Absences risk rumor. Visibility counters it. In Trump’s case, it took a long drive on the fairway to silence a chorus of cynics.