Donald Trump breaks silence on viral conspiracy theory that he died

Donald Trump has shut down the latest conspiracy theory about himself that's made its way around the internet - and this one is truly wild.

The American president, 79, has been forced to confirm that he's still alive, after rumours began popping up that he'd died.

Now, of course, this isn't the first time something like this has happened to a public figure - sometimes all it takes is a few missed appearances and social media silence for the world to jump to a conclusion.

The likes of Brad Pitt, Jason Statham, and Simon Cowell have all fell victim to the celebrity death hoax before, however, this could be the first time it's happened to a US president.

So, why did everyone collectively convince themselves that Donald Trump had died?

Well, the hashtag '(#trumpdead) began racking up posts on Twitter after he wasn't seen in public view for a few days over the weekend and his schedule was strangely quiet over the Labor Day weekend.

This weekend, the internet convinced itself that Donald Trump had died (Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images)

And in the midst of all the rumours, the US Vice President JD Vance started talking about a hypothetical 'terrible tragedy,' which as you would expect, only fuelled the fire.

It came as he was discussing whether he would feel ready to take on the top job if he had to during a new interview.

He told USA Today: "Yes, terrible tragedies happen. But I feel very confident the president of the United States is in good shape, is going to serve out the remainder of his term and do great things for the American people.

"And if, God forbid, there’s a terrible tragedy, I can’t think of better on-the-job training than what I’ve gotten over the last 200 days."

Not the best choice of words.

On top of this, Trump has been seen sporting a bruise on his hand and often covering it up with makeup, which has led to online speculation about his health.

While all of this may seem like nothing, social media has very much ran with it, coming up with wild theories as to what's going on - including that he's secretly dead.

Donald Trump himself has now addressed the strange rumours (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Anyway, the Republican leader is very much alive and was reportedly spotted playing golf Virginia with his grandchildren on Saturday morning (30 August).

He also took to social media himself to squash the rumours in the most Trump way ever, on his own platform Truth Social.

The president responded to a post by someone else, who wrote: "Joe Biden would go multiple days at a time without any public appearances and the media would say he’s sharp and top of his game."

They added: "President Trump puts in more public work hours than any other POTUS in US history and media freaks out if he disappears for 24 hours. Comical double standard."

Linking back to the post, Trump simply penned: "NEVER FELT BETTER IN MY LIFE. Also, DC IS A CRIME FREE ZONE! President DJT."

So, there you have it, conspiracy firmly put to bed - but, we're sure it's only a matter of time before the next crazy theory pops up.