President Donald Trump attempted to dismiss widespread speculation about his health this week by sharing a photo on social media — but the move has backfired after it emerged that the image wasn’t taken recently, as many had assumed.
The 79-year-old leader has been at the centre of intense scrutiny over the past several days following a rare spell of public silence. Trump, who is known for maintaining a highly visible and often reactive presence online and in public, had not appeared in front of cameras in several days, prompting an online frenzy.
Over the recent holiday weekend, the absence reached a tipping point. With no official appearances and a blank schedule released by the White House on 29 August, speculation exploded online. Hashtags like “#TrumpIsDead” and “#WhereIsDonaldTrump” trended across social media platforms as both supporters and critics questioned the president’s whereabouts.
Trump’s eventual return to the spotlight has done little to quell the controversy, especially after observers quickly discovered that a photo he posted — seemingly to prove he was alive and well — had actually been taken over a week earlier.
A Health Scare Fueled by Silence
Concerns about the president’s well-being have not materialised out of thin air. Back in July, the White House disclosed that Trump had been diagnosed with chronic venous insufficiency (CVI), a circulatory condition that affects blood flow in the legs. While his doctor at the time described it as “benign and common,” the announcement immediately drew attention due to the president’s age.
In the weeks following the diagnosis, observers also pointed to several photographs of Trump in which apparent bruising on his hands and swelling in his legs was visible. These images added fuel to the growing speculation.
By the end of August, the chatter reached new heights when Trump went multiple days without a public appearance. The vacuum of information prompted a flood of theories online, ranging from speculation about a minor medical procedure to conspiracies suggesting a more severe — or even fatal — health event had taken place.
Complicating matters further were comments made by Vice President JD Vance in an interview with USA Today. While Vance described Trump as being in “incredibly good health” and praised his “incredible energy,” he also stated that he was “prepared to assume the presidency in the event of a terrible tragedy.” For some, the mention of such a scenario — even hypothetically — added another layer of unease.
Truth Social Post Sparks New Controversy
As pressure mounted, Trump finally addressed the speculation on Sunday via his Truth Social account. In his typical all-caps style, he posted: “NEVER FELT BETTER IN MY LIFE. Also, DC IS A CRIME FREE ZONE!”
Though the statement drew widespread attention, it was a second post that prompted the most significant reaction.
On 31 August, Trump shared a photograph of himself on a golf course alongside former NFL coach Jon Gruden. “Great playing Golf with Jon Gruden – A really nice guy, and true character!” the caption read.
For many of Trump’s supporters, the image was received as a clear and straightforward message: the president was healthy and active. Some quickly took to social media to mock critics who had speculated otherwise.
“BREAKING: President Trump’s health is doing just fine. Liberals were wrong,” wrote one supporter on X.
“While Democrats swore Trump was having a medical emergency, he was out golfing with Jon Gruden! He’s at the TOP OF HIS GAME!” said another.
However, any attempt to use the photo as proof of Trump’s current health was quickly undermined when several users pointed out that the image was not recent.
Photo Confirmed as More Than a Week Old
It didn’t take long for online sleuths to trace the origins of the photo. Among the first to highlight the issue was retired U.S. Navy intelligence officer Travis Akers.
“I’m not a conspiracy theory guy,” Akers wrote on X, “but if you’re fighting off increasing rumors that you may have suffered a major medical episode, and to disprove that rumor and provide proof of life, you post a picture of allegedly playing golf with Jon Gruden today, it would be beneficial to post one that wasn’t from August 23rd.”
Akers cited Jon Gruden’s own Instagram feed and Associated Press image archives as confirming the photo’s original date. The golf outing took place on 23 August, nearly ten days before Trump posted it.
He added that the photo’s clothing, timestamp, and background details all lined up with that earlier date.
Other political commentators echoed the concerns.
“This is insane. The President of the United States is obviously lying about his activities and the lack of curiosity by the media is stunning,” wrote political consultant Fred Wellman.
Democratic strategist Matt Rein also weighed in, questioning the silence surrounding the apparent discrepancy. “Is it not very bizarre to any reporter that Trump/The WH and their allies are trying to pass off a photo of Trump and Gruden as having been taken today, and not last week? Is anyone talking about this??? I feel like I’m going crazy!”
White House and Medical Team Maintain Trump is Healthy
Despite the controversy, the White House has maintained that the president is in good health. Dr. Sean Barbabella, the physician overseeing Trump’s care, issued a memo in July following the CVI diagnosis.
“The president underwent a comprehensive examination, including diagnostic vascular studies,” the memo read. “Bilateral lower extremity venous Doppler ultrasounds were performed and revealed chronic venous insufficiency, a benign and common condition, particularly in individuals over the age of 70.”
At the time, the diagnosis was not considered medically significant and no further updates have been provided regarding any deterioration in the president’s condition.
Trump’s own activity on social media — particularly his high-energy tone — has also been cited by allies as evidence that he remains in control and in good health.
A Second Photo Offers More Recent Proof
While the controversy over the Jon Gruden photo has continued to build, another photo emerged that offered slightly more current proof of Trump’s whereabouts. On 30 August — one day before the golf image was shared — the president was photographed golfing in Virginia alongside his granddaughter, Kai Trump.
Unlike the Gruden photo, there has so far been no credible dispute about the timing of the Virginia sighting. The presence of his granddaughter and the setting of the course provided greater confidence to those seeking visual evidence of Trump’s activity over the long weekend.
However, the incident involving the earlier image has nonetheless cast a long shadow, raising new questions about the White House’s communication strategy and the president’s transparency with the public.
Questions of Credibility and Strategy
Critics have argued that the use of an old photo — without clarifying the date — has only intensified scepticism about what the administration may be concealing.
Even among those who do not believe the more extreme conspiracy theories, the decision to post a misleading photo has been seen as a poor strategic move, particularly in a media environment already fuelled by distrust and misinformation.
While the president’s supporters remain steadfast, insisting that the focus on the photo’s date is a distraction, others argue that the situation reflects a larger issue of credibility.
As of now, neither the White House nor Trump’s communications team have offered a formal explanation for why the image was posted without any clarification regarding its date.
Ongoing Uncertainty
In the absence of clear answers, speculation continues. Some have speculated that Trump may have undergone a routine medical procedure and opted to recover in private. Others believe his absence was simply a scheduled rest period, exaggerated by the slow news cycle of the holiday weekend.
However, the mishandling of the Gruden photo — combined with earlier reports of leg swelling, the CVI diagnosis, and Vance’s public comments — has ensured that the conversation around Trump’s health remains far from over.