Conspiracy theorist and Infowars founder Alex Jones weighed in on a viral social media post claiming that 35 top Democrats were hospitalized at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Maryland. In a video comment on the post, Jones described it as satire while defended the user who shared it.
The post, intended as a parody of recent rumors suggesting that Donald Trump had been secretly admitted to the same hospital, went viral instantly.
Jones addressed the controversy in a video shared on Infowars and on X, where he questioned the credibility of the claims and pointed to the pattern of misinformation amid rumors of Trump's death.
Read more: Trump health update: POTUS makes first appearance since; Melania absent
Satire or misinformation?
Jones defended social media personality Matt Wallace, who made the original satirical post. The post jokingly claimed that 35 Democratic leaders were hospitalized at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center due to a “mystery illness,” mirroring earlier unverified claims about Trump’s health.
Jones stated that the backlash against the content ignored its intended irony.
{{/usCountry}}Jones stated that the backlash against the content ignored its intended irony.
{{/usCountry}}He said, “Obviously, it's satire. He [Matt Wallace] made reference to all these Democrat operatives saying Trump has collapsed and is at the Walter Reed Medical center. This is all because they looked at his schedule days ago and saw he wasn't doing anything.”
Jones argued that the reaction highlights how quickly misinformation can spread online, especially when audiences fail to recognize satire.
He said, “Everybody is attacking the folks who posted the satire and acting like they don't know it's a joke and saying it's deception.” He continued, “Clearly, they have posted fake photos of 35 beds lined up with all these Democrats lying in them…It's clearly a joke.”
He bolsters his argument by citing his earlier video in which he refuted the conspiracy theory and rumor surrounding the purported death of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
He said, “I said he is alive. I got called a traitor, an Israeli operative and just massively attacked.”
He further added, “I don't go along with stuff that I don't think is true. Just because I say Netanyahu is alive doesn't mean I support the war mongering…war crimes.”
Read more: Where is Donald Trump? Sudden press 'lid' sparks hospitalization rumors
Trump's health issues and hospitalization hoax
The White House announced a press "lid" at 11:08 a.m. on Saturday, indicating that President Trump would not be making any public appearances that day, which sparked rumors about his health.
The controversy follows the wave of online speculation about Trump’s health and progressed to unverified claims that he had collapsed or been admitted to Walter Reed. No credible news organizations have confirmed these claims.
To curb the flow of the rumors, the Director of Communications at the White House, Steven Cheung, provided an alternative explanation for Trump's location via X.
He wrote, “There has never been a President who has worked harder for the American people than President Trump. On this Easter weekend, he has been working nonstop in the White House and Oval Office.”