Why is the White House flag at half-staff amid Trump death rumours?

On Saturday, August 30, 2025, the US flag above the White House was lowered to half-staff, immediately fueling speculation and conspiracy theories online.

Social media users began questioning whether the gesture was linked to unverified rumours about President Donald Trump’s health, which have been trending under the hashtag #TrumpIsDead on X.

In reality, the flag-lowering is unrelated to those rumours. The White House confirmed earlier this week that President Trump issued a proclamation on August 27, 2025, directing all federal buildings, military posts, and embassies to lower the US flag through sunset on August 31.

The proclamation honors the victims of the Annunciation Catholic School shooting in Minneapolis, where two children were killed and 17 others injured.

Still, the overlap in timing, with the White House livestream temporarily offline and the flag flying at half-staff, has heightened confusion online.

Posts misinterpreting the gesture as a signal of presidential death have spread rapidly, even though no credible reports support those claims.

The White House flag will remain at half-staff nationwide until Sunday evening.