London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Friday, Aug 22, 2025

'#TrumpIsDead' trends on Twitter as users test Elon Musk's approach to fake news

'#TrumpIsDead' trends on Twitter as users test Elon Musk's approach to fake news

Donald Trump is not dead, nor is he back on Twitter, but the former US president became a top trending topic as users set out to test the stance of the social media platform's new owner on disinformation.

Tweets of Donald Trump's death have been greatly exaggerated.

You may have woken up to #TrumpIsDead trending on Twitter this morning, and swiped over to your news app of choice to find out more.

Of course, there would have been no such story there. The former US president is alive and well - to coin one of his favourite phrases, this hashtag was a stone-cold case of fake news.

But in a co-ordinated attempt to test Elon Musk's stance on disinformation on the platform following his takeover, trending topics in the US and beyond were for hours topped with news of Mr Trump's apparent demise.

Why did it happen?


As ever, when something trends on Twitter, especially if it ends up being false or misleading, much of the discussion was driven by people wondering what on Earth was going on.

But it began as an effort to essentially stick it to new owner Musk, who has made content moderation - and his apparent desire to loosen it - a key part of the conversation surrounding his takeover.


"#TrumpIsDead is the best retaliation to Musk saying disinformation is free speech," said one.

Another who tweeted the hashtag added: "I mean, he might be alive, but since we're apparently going in a new direction on fact-checking in Chief Twit's new world, I guess we'll never know."

"There has never been a hashtag that has trending bigger," said one, echoing Mr Trump's style of self-praise.


At its peak, tens of thousands of tweets drove the hashtag to the top of the trending charts.

Verified accounts got in on the joke, with one from comedian Tim Heidecker racking up close to 10,000 retweets, while others mocked up screenshots of news sites including CNN.

In the US, #TrumpIsDead even overtook the evening's World Series baseball action.

How are trends determined?


Trending topics on Twitter come from a combination of the sheer number of tweets and the work of an algorithm, designed to tailor which ones appear for individual users based on their interests and location.

However, Twitter will act to prevent a hashtag or content from trending if it violates its rules.

For now, at least, that includes anything deemed as platform manipulation or spam, and also any forms of so-called "social coordination" which may spread misinformation.

Twitter's head of safety and integrity Yoel Roth tweeted last night, just as the hashtag was trending: "We're staying vigilant against attempts to manipulate conversations about the 2022 US midterms."

Sky News has contacted Twitter for comment about the Trump hashtag.

Have Trump or Musk responded?


Mr Trump is yet to address his return to the trending charts on his platform Truth Social, where he has been posting since being banned from Twitter in January 2021.

There has also been no comment from Musk - but his latest tweets do relate to Mr Trump's Twitter status.

Having indicated earlier this year that he would reverse Mr Trump's ban, people have been waiting to see when suspended accounts might be allowed back.

But he tweeted overnight: "Twitter will not allow anyone who was deplatformed for violating Twitter rules back on platform until we have a clear process for doing so, which will take at least a few more weeks."

That means no return for Mr Trump before next week's US midterms, as Musk works to create a new moderation council with "widely diverse viewpoints".

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Bunkers, Billions and Apocalypse: The Secret Compounds of Zuckerberg and the Tech Giants
Ukraine Declares De Facto War on Hungary and Slovakia with Terror Drone Strikes on Their Gas Lifeline
Animated K-pop Musical ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Becomes Netflix’s Most-Watched Original Animated Film
New York Appeals Court Voids Nearly $500 Million Civil Fraud Penalty Against Trump While Upholding Fraud Liability
Elon Musk tweeted, “Europe is dying”
Far-Right Activist Convicted of Incitement Changes Gender and Demands: "Send Me to a Women’s Prison" | The Storm in Germany
Hungary Criticizes Ukraine: "Violating Our Sovereignty"
Will this be the first country to return to negative interest rates?
Child-free hotels spark controversy
North Korea is where this 95-year-old wants to die. South Korea won’t let him go. Is this our ally or a human rights enemy?
Hong Kong Launches Regulatory Regime and Trials for HKD-Backed Stablecoins
China rehearses September 3 Victory Day parade as imagery points to ‘loyal wingman’ FH-97 family presence
Trump Called Viktor Orbán: "Why Are You Using the Veto"
Horror in the Skies: Plane Engine Exploded, Passengers Sent Farewell Messages
MSNBC Rebrands as MS NOW Amid Comcast’s Cable Spin-Off
AI in Policing: Draft One Helps Speed Up Reports but Raises Legal and Ethical Concerns
Shame in Norway: Crown Princess’s Son Accused of Four Rapes
Apple Begins Simultaneous iPhone 17 Production in India and China
A Robot to Give Birth: The Chinese Announcement That Shakes the World
Finnish MP Dies by Suicide in Parliament Building
Outrage in the Tennis World After Jannik Sinner’s Withdrawal Storm
William and Kate Are Moving House – and the New Neighbors Were Evicted
Class Action Lawsuit Against Volkswagen: Steering Wheel Switches Cause Accidents
Taylor Swift on the Way to the Super Bowl? All the Clues Stirring Up Fans
Dogfights in the Skies: Airbus on Track to Overtake Boeing and Claim Aviation Supremacy
Tim Cook Promises an AI Revolution at Apple: "One of the Most Significant Technologies of Our Generation"
Apple Expands Social Media Presence in China With RedNote Account Ahead of iPhone 17 Launch
Are AI Data Centres the Infrastructure of the Future or the Next Crisis?
Cambridge Dictionary Adds 'Skibidi,' 'Delulu,' and 'Tradwife' Amid Surge of Online Slang
Bill Barr Testifies No Evidence Implicated Trump in Epstein Case; DOJ Set to Release Records
Zelenskyy Returns to White House Flanked by European Allies as Trump Pressures Land-Swap Deal with Putin
The CEO Who Replaced 80% of Employees for the AI Revolution: "I Would Do It Again"
Emails Worth Billions: How Airlines Generate Huge Profits
Character.ai Bets on Future of AI Companionship
China Ramps Up Tax Crackdown on Overseas Investments
Japanese Office Furniture Maker Expands into Bomb Shelter Market
Intel Shares Surge on Possible U.S. Government Investment
Hurricane Erin Threatens U.S. East Coast with Dangerous Surf
EU Blocks Trade Statement Over Digital Rule Dispute
EU Sends Record Aid as Spain Battles Wildfires
JPMorgan Plans New Canary Wharf Tower
Zelenskyy and his allies say they will press Trump on security guarantees
Beijing is moving into gold and other assets, diversifying away from the dollar
Escalating Clashes in Serbia as Anti-Government Protests Spread Nationwide
The Drought in Britain and the Strange Request from the Government to Delete Old Emails
Category 5 Hurricane in the Caribbean: 'Catastrophic Storm' with Winds of 255 km/h
"No, Thanks": The Mathematical Genius Who Turned Down 1.5 Billion Dollars from Zuckerberg
The surprising hero, the ugly incident, and the criticism despite victory: "Liverpool’s defense exposed in full"
Digital Humans Move Beyond Sci-Fi: From Virtual DJs to AI Customer Agents
YouTube will start using AI to guess your age. If it’s wrong, you’ll have to prove it
×