Donald Trump need only look in the mirror if he is upset with how the Labor Day weekend came to be filled with a hotbed of conspiracy rumors that he had died or was in such poor health that he couldn’t even post on Truth Social.
The president somewhat allayed speculation about his fate when he finally posted “NEVER FELT BETTER IN MY LIFE”, but by that time the damage had been done and those who live in a conspiracy-filled world weren’t buying it.
According to the Guardian’s David Smith, the president’s constant references to “fake news,” the “deep state” and hoaxes has created the reality he now has to contend with.
The report notes that underlying speculation about the health of the elderly president stems from the constant lack of transparency from the White House after the president’s annual physicals, as well as questions raised by his obvious physical deterioration from his swollen ankles to the bruising on the backs of his hands.
“The rumours played out against a backdrop in which Trump has spent years lying and hiding his medical records while displaying a penchant for McDonald’s and other fast food, though he says he neither drinks nor smokes," the report notes.
Add to that, with regard to the Labor Day explosion of rumors, not only was the president silent on social media, but he also stayed out of reach of reporters and a great distance from photographers.
According to political observer Reed Galen, Trump has made himself so ever-present seven days a week, and almost 24-hours a day with his late night Truth Social tirades, that his absence leaves a vacuum that needs to be filled.
“The guy is so omnipresent that when he’s gone for 36 or 48 hours he leaves such a hole in the news. For those who make a political living on bashing Donald Trump, you need the daily tweets, you need the daily outrage, you need the insanity of a cabinet meeting or a pool spray in the Oval Office. When you don’t have it you’re like, wait!” he explained.
He then added, “It’s like you’re addicted, like you gotta eat ice-cream every day, and one day you don’t get your ice-cream and wait a second, something’s missing. What’s happening? The medium is the message. He has created this beast that even he must feed and, when he doesn’t, people are like, ‘wait a second, what’s going on?’ because it’s so out of character.”
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