Trump Is Alive. The Media’s Credibility Is Dead

To the surprise of nobody with a brain, President Donald Trump is alive and well. Over the weekend a bizarre conspiracy theory began circulating claiming Trump had died and that his death was being covered up. It mattered naught that he was spotted golfing and posting on social media.

Under normal circumstances, such an outlandish hoax probably would not warrant coverage. But the propaganda press jumped to cover the hoax, not because they believed Trump was dead, but because the story provided them an opportunity to recycle hysterical speculation about Trump’s health.

The irony of course is glaring. For four years, the same propaganda press either ignored President Joe Biden’s obvious physical and cognitive decline or explained it away. When it came to Biden, the media’s guiding principle was “look the other way.” When it comes to Trump, they eagerly amplify even the most unserious conspiracy if it offers a way to question his ability to execute the duties of his office.

Nowhere is this more apparent in The New York Times’ coverage of the hoax.

“President Trump is Alive. The Internet Was Convinced Otherwise,” The Times’ Katie Rogers wrote, peddling a fringe rumor as a legitimate storyline.

“President Trump had nothing on his public schedule for three days last week. He is often sporting a large, purple bruise on his right hand, which he sometimes slathers with makeup. His ankles are swollen. He is the oldest person to be elected president,” Rogers wrote. Only after painting an unflattering portrait of Trump did Rogers get around to mentioning the actual conspiracy theory.

Rogers lets the cat out of the bag about the real reason she wrote the piece, writing toward the end that “For years, justifiable concerns and questions about Mr. Trump’s health have often been met with obfuscation or minimal explanation from the people around him.”

In other words, the purpose of the article was never actually about the hoax itself; it was just an opportunity to regurgitate baseless speculations about Trump’s health.

This was in stark contrast to The Times’ coverage of President Joe Biden, who was rarely seen, rarely held cabinet meetings, and avoided the press at all costs.

When Biden resigned from the 2024 election, The Times’ Stuart A. Thompson wrote: “Far Right Spreads Baseless Claims About Biden’s Whereabouts.”

Thompson immediately dismissed the “conspiracy” theory before attacking anyone who questioned Biden’s sudden departure from the presidential race just weeks after a disastrous debate performance that left many questioning whether Biden was even able to function daily.

Or take MSNBC’s Jen Psaki — Biden’s former press secretary — who said, “We may never know why Donald Trump suddenly spends a week hiding entirely from the American public.”

Never mind that Trump wasn’t hiding at all — the statement allowed Psaki to peddle the hoax while planting the idea that Trump was being secretive or ill. Psaki, of course, spent years covering for Biden’s obvious decline.

The Associated Press couldn’t resist slanting the story either. A post on X read: “Trump says social media conspiracies about his death were wrong.”

It’s a familiar construction: “Trump says …” It’s the go-to framing to imply skepticism about anything that comes out of Trump’s mouth. But here it was used to cover a conspiracy that was objectively false. The purpose of such framing is to give readers room to doubt even Trump’s own proof that he’s alive.

Of course when rumors swirled that Biden suffered a medical emergency aboard Air Force One last year, The Associated Press rushed to clarify that they determined the rumors “false.” There was no “Biden says he’s fine” construction. Just matter-of-fact reporting from The Associated Press.

Each example just exposes the skewed pattern: When it came to Biden’s health, the media’s reflex was downplay, dismiss, or malign skeptics. With Trump, even an obviously false rumor is given some credence because it helps the left revive larger questions about his health and legitimacy.

Brianna Lyman is an elections correspondent at The Federalist. Brianna graduated from Fordham University with a degree in International Political Economy. Her work has been featured on Newsmax, Fox News, Fox Business and RealClearPolitics. Follow Brianna on X: @briannalyman2