After Trump’s disappearance, rumors about his health and possible death circulated.

Mr. Trump usually makes a series of frequent public appearances and statements, but for a week in late August, this was not the case. His public schedule was clear for three days. He was often seen with a large purple bruise on his right hand, caked with concealer. He has cankles. He is 79 years old—the oldest person to be elected president.

For many, these signs were enough: he was either dead or on his deathbed. Conspiracy theories about his health—and even rumors of his death—swirled on social media. On TikTok, one influencer with 1.9 million followers theorized that Mr. Trump was publishing week-old photos of himself golfing with Jon Gruden to appear healthy. Reddit threads with over 100 comments speculated that Trump had cancer and that he had lost the cadence of his speech, comparing 2016 videos, and that the “'je ne sais quoi’ that's held the MAGA cult together will come undone.”

The rumor mill reached a peak by the weekend, but on Saturday, it was finally shot down when reporters captured a photo of Mr. Trump heading out for a day of golf with his children in Virginia. While one Redditor conspired that it was actually a body double and the diminutive grandchildren were positioned there to hide the height difference, there’s no real reason to suspect something sinister is happening.

When confronted about his health and the #TRUMPISDEAD trend that became trending just before the Labor Day holiday, Mr. Trump said that rumors were “crazy” and had been jacked up by media sensationalism by his political opponents. He also told reporters that it was “fake news” and “that’s why the media has so little credibility.” He was very active, doing interviews, golfing, and, of course, posting frequently on his social media platform.

In a brief Truth Social post on Sunday night, the president wrote six words: “NEVER FELT BETTER IN MY LIFE” in his typical, all-caps style, while also sharing that DC was a crime-free zone after his crackdown on Washington, D.C. crime. However, even this was explained away as part of a cover-up. 

The caked makeup on Mr. Trump’s hands is to hide bruising, which was a prime reason for the circulation of rumors about Trump’s health. The White House insisted that it was a side effect of constant handshaking and use of aspirin, which is consistent with the standard cardiovascular prevention regimen prescribed by his physician, Sean Barbabella.

And yet Mr. Trump does have a health condition: chronic venous insufficiency, or CVI, which is a prevalent condition in people over 70. Chronic venous insufficiency is a condition where the veins in the lower legs do not function properly, leading to blood pooling and increased pressure. While CVI is far from fatal, it can be painful and impair function and may warrant an amputation in severe cases. It’s known to be exacerbated by a poor diet, and Mr. Trump happens to have a soft spot for McDonald’s and Diet Coke. 

Trump isn’t the only president to hide problems with his health—it’s apparently a tradition that has been running for over a hundred years. President Woodrow Wilson suffered a severe stroke, and he was hidden from view. President Franklin D. Roosevelt was paralyzed and bound in a wheelchair, but few ever saw him in one. President John F. Kennedy suffered from chronic back pain, possibly due to a spinal injury during his college football days, but he was propped up to show his good health. 

Trump’s predecessor, Joe Biden, was constantly caught in the crosshairs of age and health issues in the last few months of his term. Trump even used these issues to target Biden during presidential debates, with sensationalist journalism spreading rumors that Biden was in diapers and napping half of his time in office. So there’s no doubt that Trump is quiet about any arising health issues.

For years, attempts to get medical information about Trump’s health have been met with obfuscation. His physicians haven’t talked to reporters in years, and there were no medical briefings after the assassination attempt in Pennsylvania last summer.

In a recent statement, Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, said that Mr. Trump was “perfectly fine” and had a “tremendous” amount of energy. She also added that he was completely transparent about his health with the public—“unlike his predecessor.”