How Trump's quiet holiday weekend fueled a viral death hoax

Speculation that President Trump was sick — or dead — took on a life of its own over Labor Day weekend, lighting up liberal feeds with conspiracy chatter that spread far beyond the fringe.

On Tuesday, Trump stepped in front of the cameras and squashed the online frenzy.

Why it matters: Baseless rumors about the 79-year-old president's health metastasized at warp speed, spawning millions of memes, TikToks, Google searches and "clues" about a supposed White House cover-up.

They made it all the way to the Oval Office, where Trump was asked by a cheeky Fox News reporter: "How did you find out over the weekend that you were dead?"

Trump, with a smirk, said he hadn't heard the rumors about his demise — but was "very active" over the long weekend doing interviews, playing golf and posting "poignant" messages on Truth Social.