On Tuesday, September 2, Donald Trump was on hand for the announcement of a new Space Command Center in Alabama, thus putting to bed the viral death rumors about the president that gained traction on social media over Labor Day weekend. But while Trump may have put that rumor mill to rest for the time being, Vice President JD Vance isn't beating those eyeliner rumors anytime soon. Vance apparently decided to dress for all scenarios, as the dark rings around his eyes were so thick during the announcement that he looked
like he was already in mourning and/or ready to drop to one knee and sing "Welcome to the Black Parade" (apologies to actual My Chemical Romance fans).
Tuberville: "We look forward to having the Donald J Trump Space Command Center in Huntsville, Alabama" pic.twitter.com/2JfZPPdyyQ
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) September 2, 2025
Notably, Vance himself was a frequent target in posts about Trump's supposed death, with at least one X user joking that if the president did pass, his VP might be among the last to find out. "The funniest part about all this is that JD Vance has definitely texted at least six people asking if it's true and has been left on read," they wrote as the rumors kicked into overdrive. Many others joked that Vance was actually to blame for Trump's rumored demise, calling back to an earlier viral joke that the VP was responsible for the death of Pope Francis. (In case you somehow missed that one, the Pope died shortly after meeting with Vance back in April, and the internet had a field day as a result.)
Read more: Usha Vance's Footwear Fails That Were Almost As Bad As Her Senior Citizen Sneakers
How Did The Viral Donald Trump Death Rumors Start?
Of course, if you don't use X regularly, you may be wondering how the rumors about Donald Trump's death gained so much traction in the first place. Well, for context, you need to remember that, amid general concerns regarding his health and age, Trump was recently diagnosed with chronic venous insufficiency. He had also been spotted with bruises on his hands, with many pointing out that Queen Elizabeth II was seen with similar bruising shortly before her own death in 2022. Trump also recently made an uncharacteristic joke about the afterlife -- more specifically, about how he wants to make it to heaven. But we're getting ahead of ourselves.
Heading into Labor Day weekend, JD Vance raised a few eyebrows when he stressed that Trump was in good health, but added that he was ready and willing to become president should a "terrible tragedy" take place -- which probably didn't help the jokes that Vance had something to do with Trump's apparent disappearance. On that note, what sealed the deal was when X users noticed that, as of August 29, Trump hadn't been seen publicly for at least two days, and had no scheduled events through Labor Day on September 1. Cue a cavalcade of humorous posts at the president's (and vice president's) expense.
If trump is dead they should bury JD with him like this pic.twitter.com/cUcT9hfH0K
— cosmic jester (@cosmicjester) August 30, 2025
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