President Donald Trump is expected to make an “exciting announcement” from the Oval Office on Tuesday, Sept. 2. It will mark his first public appearance in a week.
Trump’s unusual media absence sparked rumors that he had died just ahead of Labor Day weekend. “Trump is Dead” started to trend on social media platform X on Aug. 30, with around 160,000 posts made by Saturday morning.
Conspiracy theories surrounding the rumors began popping up on Saturday after photos circulated of Trump departing the White House that looked similar to photos from 2019. People speculated online that the photos had been digitally altered, while some even claimed the photo showed a body double of the president.
Trump is now expected to announce the relocation of U.S. Space Command headquarters from Colorado to Alabama, according to media reports.
The move would reverse President Joe Biden’s decision to keep the command in Colorado, which has been the temporary headquarters since the military space program was established in 2019.
While the announcement is big news on its own, online discourse will no doubt hone in on Trump’s appearance and medical condition following his weeklong media hiatus. Here’s how the “Trump is dead” rumors got started.
Trump had not been seen in public since Tuesday
It’s no secret that Trump is a fan of the spotlight, and this isn’t the first time people have pointed out unusual spans of time when Trump hasn’t made public appearances.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, internet rumors swirled when Trump had been hospitalized after he contracted the virus. Speaking from the White House balcony, Trump spoke to hundreds of guests on Oct. 10, 2020, and assured them the novel virus was “disappearing.”
Commenters at the time noticed that Trump appeared to be visibly weak while speaking.
“This 8 second video destroys all attempts by @realDonaldTrump to downplay the virus because it shows him gasping for air. Many Americans are now visually seeing how the virus causes breathing difficulties & lung damage,” tweeted Congressman Ted Lieu at the time.
JD Vance commented about being ready to take over if something happened to Trump
On Thursday, Aug. 28, an exclusive USA TODAY interview with JD Vance went viral after making comments about being ready to take over for Trump if anything should happen to the president.
“I’ve gotten a lot of good on-the-job training over the last 200 days,” Vance said in an exclusive interview with USA TODAY on Aug. 27, when asked if he was ready to assume the role of commander in chief.
Vance’s comments didn’t quite come out of left field, however. The interview covered Trump’s health, which has become a common talking point as concerns over his health have increased in recent months.
The White House announced in July that Trump had been diagnosed with chronic venous insufficiency, a common vein condition, after images taken of the president showed visible swelling in his lower legs.
“But 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,” Vance said.
“And if, God forbid, there’s a terrible tragedy, I can’t think of better on-the-job training than what I’ve gotten over the last 200 days,” he added.
Concerns about Trump’s health have risen dramatically
The rumors stem chiefly from concerns that Trump’s health is rapidly declining.
Last year, Trump was spotted with bruising on his hand, which some say is a sign of cannula bruising, which is common when an IV is placed. Trump initially claimed that the bruises were from shaking so many hands.
Trump was later photographed with swollen ankles, which doctors say can be a sign of heart failure. The White House has since come out and confirmed that he was diagnosed with chronic venous insufficiency, which is when the leg veins don’t allow blood to flow back up to the heart, causing it instead to flow backward, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine.
When is Trump’s announcement today?
According to the White House, Trump will be making an announcement at 2 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 2.
Watch Trump’s announcement today live
Editor’s note: This story was updated live video of the announcement.
This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Trump schedule to make first public appearance after death rumors circulate
Reporting by Brandon Girod, Pensacola News Journal / Pensacola News Journal
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
