It is currently unclear whether Donald Trump is dead or alive. Social media is certainly convinced he’s dead, as “HE’S DEAD”, “TRUMP IS DEAD”, and “Where is Donald Trump” are currently trending with hundreds of thousands of posts under them. The “proof” is that Trump hasn’t been seen in public since Tuesday, that the presidential schedule is suspiciously clear, and that the flag over the White House is currently flying at half mast. It’s vanishingly unlikely that a cover-up is underway, but eyebrows are rightly raised as to why officials haven’t squashed this rumor by confirming the president is alive. Even so, if Trump really did die, what would happen? Grief or celebration? The nanosecond the world gets confirmation of Trump’s death, social media goes into meltdown. Conservatives and MAGA acolytes would suddenly get very serious and sincere, while those who oppose Trump will be gleefully dancing on his grave. Expect some serious decorum policing, doubtless with a chorus of conservative talking heads tutting and arguing that liberals are supposed to be kind and sensitive. A handful of celebrities will go too far with their glee and become stories in their own right, being pressured to walk back their comments. For examples of all this in action, take a peek over at the reactions in the United Kingdom to the death of Margaret Thatcher in 2013. Less immediately, there’d be major questions over whether JD Vance is up to the job of being president, possibly resulting in splits between various MAGA factions and the GOP. That may spill over into public protests similar to Jan. 6, particularly as Trump’s death would launch a million conspiracy theories (was he murdered, is he still alive, etc) The economy would also experience big changes, though it’s impossible to say for the better or worse. If there were indications that Vance would pause or roll back Trump’s tariffs, it’d restore international confidence in the United States as a trading partner, though any “betrayal” of Trump’s policies would draw intense criticism from the domestic base. In the longer term, the GOP would suffer from a charisma void without Trump as a figurehead. Like him or not, there’s nobody quite like him in the party, and his personal popularity among their base cannot be denied. Are people really going to rally around Vance and other Republicans in the same way? Somehow, I doubt it. Trump’s death would be the news event of the year and its ripple effects enormous. Predicting precisely what’ll happen is impossible, but we can at least 100% confirm that there’d be widespread jubilation all around the world and weeks of juicy drama. To underline, we don’t currently know if Trump is dead or alive, but if he is gone, prepare for drama.