'Sick People' — Why Donald Trump Jr. Is Furious Over Viral Rumors About His Dad

The internet had a field day after President Donald Trump seemingly disappeared from public view for a brief period of time. With the White House entering a brief shutdown, speculations ran wild online that the commander in chief might be no more.

This was sparked by a user on X, who was criticizing Democrats for allegedly running a campaign that deceived the American people into believing rumors about the president's demise.

Netizens quickly took to the idea that President Trump might have indeed passed away. With the Iran War still continuing and the midterms right around the corner, such misinformation could potentially have a number of adverse effects on the society.

The internet, however, similar to when rumors about Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's death spread online, asked questions about where the commander in chief was.

The post that circulated online claimed that President Trump was taken for secret medical assistance at the Walter Reed Medical Center. The president's son, Donald Trump Jr., slammed the trend and the people who were buying into it. He simply put out a post saying, "Sick people," pointing out how people were engaging with the news in bad faith.

The rumors come at a time when the president has been dealing with the Iran crisis, which saw the United States launch a war on the Middle Eastern country along with Israel. Despite having a military that is more or less crippled according to President Trump, Iran has managed to drag out the war longer than many had anticipated.

Regarding this, Ali Vaez, director of the Iran project at the International Crisis Group, wrote in The New York Times, “Perhaps most significantly, the Iranians have managed to subdue traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, responding in the one arena where weaker nations have often found leverage against stronger ones: not by matching force with force, but by changing the terms of the contest.”

President Trump’s online reactions to the Iran war have put a lot of weight behind speculations that he is not happy with the outcome of the conflict so far. On Easter Sunday, the commander in chief posted a profanity-filled message on social media platform Truth Social, where he instructed the Iranian regime to open the Strait of Hormuz or risk attacks on civilian infrastructure.

Following President Trump's threats, Israel has already launched attacks on Iranian petrochemical sites, reports the BBC. There are also potent communications that suggest a ground invasion of Iran might be in the cards. Currently, there are at least 50,000 troops stationed in the Middle East, which is the largest presence of U.S. troops in the region in quite some time.

Energy authorities have warned about the long-term damage that this war can cause in the coming days. Countries have already begun bracing for energy shortages, as around one-fifth of the world’s oil passes through the Strait of Hormuz. According to critics, President Trump does not have many options left to solve the conflict, which has also affected his negotiation tactics.