“Donald Trump is dead” has been circulating social media, following outrage about a dark patch on his hand. But the US president has just debunked rumours as he was seen in public for the first time in three days. Photos surfaced this morning showing him with his granddaughter Kai on the White House South Lawn, ahead of their planned flight to the Trump National Golf Course in Virginia. Trump had planned to spend late August at his Bedminster resort in New Jersey but cancelled the trip, opting to remain at the White House, according to The Washington Times.

It is yet to be understood he is on his demise soon. On August 27, Trump’s Vice President JD Vance was asked if he would be prepared to step into Trump’s role in the event of a “terrible tragedy.” In an interview with USA Today, he stressed that the Commander-in-Chief is in excellent health, while admitting the possibility could not be ruled out completely.

He told USA Today: “Yes, terrible tragedies happen. 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. 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.”

Trump’s physician Sean Barbabella spoke about the bruising on Trump’s hand, saying: “This is consistent with minor soft tissue irritation from frequent handshaking and the use of aspirin, which is taken as part of a standard cardiovascular prevention regimen.”

In the past 24 hours, there have been speculations online whether Trump had died or not. There has been absolutely no confirmation on where he has been, or even any news on his health. The most recent significant update on Trump’s health came in July, when the White House disclosed that he has chronic venous insufficiency, a vein condition that leads to swelling in the legs.

The initial Reddit post that sparked the debate said: “POTUS (President of the United States) hasn’t been seen since yesterday, wasn’t seen today, and has no public events scheduled this weekend. He hasn’t even been seen in public since Wednesday, and we don’t know if he’ll be seen in public until Tuesday. Rumours are circulating that he’s died. Twitter is having a heyday and, after a federal appeals court ruled 7-4 today that POTUS’ tariffs are unconstitutional as they violate Congress’ authority over the purse and the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, are joking that POTUS saw the ruling and immediately … killed himself.”