Trump dismisses health rumors as ‘fake news’

Trump Waves Off Health Rumours as “Fake News” – How a Maltese Twitter Storm Turned into Café Chatter Overnight

By Luke Briffa | Hot Malta

VALLETTA – “President Trump is 78, eats like a pastizz addict and still insists he’s ‘healthier than ever’,” joked Carmel Zahra over a mid-morning espresso at Caffé Cordina. The 67-year-old tour guide had just finished reading the overnight alerts on his Times of Malta app: Donald Trump had dismissed swirling rumours about mini-strokes and secret hospital visits as “fake news”, accusing the media of “election interference”. Within minutes, the story had migrated from global headlines straight onto Maltese Facebook groups and the marble-topped tables of our capital’s cafés.

For locals, Trump’s latest drama feels oddly familiar. Malta may be a speck in the Mediterranean, but our own political scene has long danced to the rhythm of rumour and rebuttal. Remember Prime Minister Joseph Muscat’s “Egrant” saga or the whispers that followed Adrian Delia’s 2017 leadership bid? Here, a health scare can fell a minister faster than a badly timed kunserva stain. Watching Trump swat away speculation with a single social-media post triggers the same collective eye-roll we reserve for a cabinet reshuffle announced via WhatsApp voice note.

The cultural echo is louder because Maltese society still venerates the image of the strong, indefatigable leader. Our festa season celebrates patron saints who endure mythical battles; our village band clubs cheer loudest for the tuba player who never misses a march. Trump’s insistence that he is “too busy campaigning to have time for a stroke” slots neatly into that narrative—right or wrong—of leaders who simply refuse to break stride. By 10 a.m. Tuesday, local radio phone-ins were buzzing with retirees comparing Trump’s stamina to Dom Mintoff’s legendary late-night debates.

Tourism operators, meanwhile, are tracking the fallout with more pragmatic curiosity. “American bookings for Gozo farmhouses are already up 8 % this summer,” notes Maria Bezzina, owner of Harbour View Travel in Sliema. “If Trump looks frail, some U.S. travellers might postpone big-ticket trips to Europe, Malta included. If he looks vigorous, they’ll book confidently and argue politics over rabbit stew at Ta’ Rikardu.” In other words, the perceived health of a man an ocean away could nudge whether American visitors choose our limestone cliffs or Croatia’s.

On campus at the University of Malta, political science students spent Tuesday’s lecture live-tweeting the spectacle under the hashtag #FakeNewsGoesMediterranean. Dr. Josianne Sciberras, who teaches media ethics, says the episode is tailor-made for her coursework: “We analyse how local outlets translate foreign disinformation into Maltese frames. When Lovin Malta splashes ‘TRUMP: I’M FINE’ across a red-and-white banner, it’s our own brand of sensationalism echoing American clickbait.” By lunchtime, student memes had merged Trump’s face with a pastizz, captioned “No stroke, just ricotta.”

Yet beneath the banter lies a quieter concern. Maltese families with relatives in the United States—roughly 40,000 dual citizens—are watching closely. “My sister in New York fears what a health crisis could unleash in an already polarised election,” says Saviour Micallef, waiting for his bus in Floriana. “If Trump’s condition worsens, the ripple effects on migration policy, NATO spending, even visa rules could touch us here.” For a country that relies on U.S. medical tourism dollars and hosts American-financed iGaming firms, that is not abstract speculation; it’s family chat over timpana.

Back at Caffé Cordina, Carmel Zahra drains his cup and shrugs. “In Malta we joke that a politician’s blood pressure is state-secret level. Trump just proved the rule goes global.” The tourists at the next table—an American couple from Boston—laugh along, snapping a photo of the pastizz meme on Carmel’s phone. Somewhere between the clinking of coffee cups and the flutter of Euro notes, a Maltese microcosm absorbs yet another superpower drama, filters it through pastizz jokes, and gets on with the day.

Conclusion: Whether we greet it with memes, market forecasts, or quiet family concern, the Trump health rumour underscores how even a 316 km² island can’t escape the gravitational pull of U.S. politics. In true Maltese fashion, we’ll debate it over ftira, monetise it in Airbnb bookings, and secretly hope the next headline drops before the afternoon siesta ends.