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Photo: Alex Wong/Getty Images

The ongoing speculation about Donald Trump’s hand bruise and health issues reached a fever pitch over Labor Day weekend, as the president had not made a public appearance since August 26. So there was already a lot of anticipation for his next appearance heading into the workweek. Then the White House amped things up by teasing that Trump would reveal something big at his Tuesday press conference.

“The president will be making an exciting announcement related to the Department of Defense,” press secretary Karoline Leavitt said cryptically.

Multiple theories emerged on what the president might say at his 2 p.m. presser. Would he give a big health update? Announce he was moving U.S. Space Command headquarters? Send the National Guard into Chicago?

The answer was kind of all of the above yet none of the above.

Technically, the big announcement was that Space Command headquarters will be relocated to Huntsville, Alabama. But this decision, a reversal of a Biden-administration decision to keep the HQ in Colorado, isn’t all that “exciting,” considering most Americans can’t tell Space Command from Space Force.

While taking questions at the meeting, Trump did say that it’s a matter of when he sends the National Guard into Chicago, not if.

But it seems the real point of the much-hyped press conference was simply to prove that Trump is still alive, despite what you may have read on social media.

“How did you find out over the weekend that you were dead?” asked Peter Doocy during the Q&A. The Fox News correspondent then explained that he was referring to the viral rumors of Trump’s demise.

Trump claimed, somewhat implausibly, that he was unaware of the posts claiming he was no more. But then he said he had heard the reports that he was in poor health.

“I have heard, it’s sort of crazy, but last week I did numerous news conferences, all successful, they went very well, like this is going very well, and then I didn’t do any for two days and they said, ‘There must be something wrong with him,’” he said. “Biden wouldn’t do them for months. You wouldn’t see him. And nobody ever said there was anything wrong with him and we know he wasn’t in the greatest of shape.”

This prompted forced laughter from Vice-President J.D. Vance and other officials gathered in the Oval Office.

Doocy: How did you find out over the weekend you were dead? Did you see that?Trump: No. Really? I didn’t see that… I heard that. I get reports pic.twitter.com/gJbtlaEymr

— Acyn (@Acyn) September 2, 2025

Aside from this denial, Trump did not give any significant updates on his health situation. His hand makeup looked a little better on Tuesday, but it’s clear his big bruise is still there.

Some photos of Trump’s right hand from today’s presser. pic.twitter.com/oqzng7jALO

— bryan metzger (@metzgov) September 2, 2025

So we’ve learned two important things today. First, Trump is still healthy enough to stand up and deliver rants on his usual topics. Second, don’t trust the White House when it promises “exciting news,” as you might wind up watching a bunch of Alabama lawmakers muse about how “space is the ultimate high ground.”

Trump’s Big Announcement: He’s Not Dead

Trump’s Big Announcement: He’s Not Dead