Trump addressed online death rumors Tuesday, calling speculation ‘fake news’

Late-night host Stephen Colbert’s audience booed on Tuesday when the comedian declared President Donald Trump was “very much alive.”

“When I came back into the office, I was shocked to learn that, this weekend, the biggest story was frenzied social media rumors speculating whether Donald Trump had died. For the record, Donald Trump is very much alive,” Colbert said before his audience booed.

Colbert responded, “No. We like our presidents alive. Donald Trump is very much alive.

“One of the only signs that he might be around was music in the Rose Garden, which the White House confirmed was the president’s music,” Colbert added. “Which I’ve got to say is not the strongest proof of life.”

Host Stephen Colbert during his show, “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” July 21, 2025.  (Scott Kowalchyk/CBS via Getty Images)

“While talentless hack Stephen Colbert continues to spiral over the cancellation of his failed, low-ratings TV show, President Trump is busy making our country greater than ever before and delivering for the American people,” White House spokeswoman Liz Huston told Fox News Digital.

Trump addressed the online rumors about his health on Tuesday, telling reporters he was “very active” over Labor Day weekend.

“I didn’t do anything for two days, and they said, ‘There must be something wrong with him,’” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office, calling speculation about his death “fake news.”

Trump’s comments followed a wave of unfounded speculation that began Friday night and stretched into Saturday morning, fueled by an empty public schedule and reshared photos showing bruising on his hand.

The online chatter subsided somewhat after Trump was seen leaving the White House with his grandchildren for his golf club in Virginia Saturday.

President Donald Trump walks at the Trump National Golf Club in Sterling, Va., Aug. 30, 2025.  (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

CBS announced in July that Colbert’s show would go off the air in May 2026.

“‘THE LATE SHOW with STEPHEN COLBERT’ will end its historic run in May 2026 at the end of the broadcast season,” CBS said in a statement. “We consider Stephen Colbert irreplaceable and will retire ‘THE LATE SHOW’ franchise at that time. We are proud that Stephen called CBS home. He and the broadcast will be remembered in the pantheon of greats that graced late-night television.”

Colbert took over “The Late Show” from David Letterman in 2015 and gave it a sharper political identity. He frequently conducts friendly interviews with Democrats and is among the most outspoken anti-Trump voices on late-night TV.

His cancellation announcement sparked outrage among fellow liberals and Democrats, with some calling for a federal investigation of CBS to ensure it wasn’t politically motivated.

Late-night host Stephen Colbert during “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” July 17, 2025. (Scott Kowalchyk/CBS via Getty Images)