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Lately, the internet has been buzzing with searches like “Donald Trump dead?” and “is Donald Trump dead??” sparking wild rumours about the health of the U.S. President. The sudden wave of speculation kicked off after people noticed he was missing from some public events, right around the same time a viral video claimed that The Simpsons had predicted his death in 2025.
At 79 years old, Trump has long been the subject of health gossip. Things really heated up when Vice President JD Vance said during an interview on August 27 that he was “ready to step in if there was a terrible tragedy.” Although Vance quickly backtracked, saying Trump was “fit, vibrant, and in incredibly good health,” the comment was enough to fuel internet chatter.
How did the Donald Trump rumours begin?
So where did the “Trump death” rumour come from? It seems to trace back to a video clip that started circulating on Instagram in late July. The clip, supposedly from The Simpsons, shows a Trump-like character collapsing on live TV, clutching his chest. A spooky voiceover in the video claims that “the President is expected to die in August 2025 after a severe chest illness.” The video racked up millions of views, with many people asking whether the show had once again predicted the future.
Adding to the noise, the White House had just announced on July 17 that Trump was diagnosed with Chronic Venous Insufficiency (CVI), a condition that affects blood circulation in the legs, often leading to swelling and bruising. Doctors stressed that it’s not life-threatening and is actually quite common in older adults. Trump’s physician also confirmed that his heart health is solid. Still, photos of bruises on his hand and his reduced public appearances made many people suspicious.
The reason The Simpsons is being dragged into this is because the show has a reputation for “predicting” real events, like smartwatches, video calls, and even Trump’s 2016 election win. During Comic-Con in July, creator Matt Groening joked that the series would “keep going until somebody dies,” and made a sly reference to “you-know-who.” Fans instantly connected that to Trump and the viral clip. But major outlets like Variety and Euronews have since pointed out that there’s no episode predicting Trump’s death, the video is almost certainly fan-made, edited from old scenes with fake narration.
This isn’t the first time Trump’s health has triggered fake death news. In 2023, his son Donald Trump Jr.’s social media account was hacked, and a false post claimed the former president had died. That hoax spread like wildfire before being debunked. On top of that, Trump’s recent survival of two assassination attempts has only intensified public curiosity and concerns for his safety.
In short, there’s no evidence Trump is dead or dying, but every time he skips an event or a new health detail comes out, rumours snowball online. The combination of a viral fake Simpsons clip, his age, his health condition, and his long history of controversies has made him an easy target for these kinds of internet death hoaxes.