According to Newsweek, the hoax seems to have begun with comedian Tim Heidecker. He mocked the way Trump promoted conspiracy theories about the attack on Paul Pelosi, using similar language:
Then came this:
Followed by the CNN "report":
As PolitiFact noted, the fact that CNN allegedly reported the cause of death as "autoerotic asphyxiation in his Florida home” was a big clue that the graphic was a fake.
It kept going:
Then it turned into satiric digs at Elon Musk:
But now, if the facts that Trump endorsed Sen. Mike Lee on Nov. 2 and posted Nov. 3 on Truth Social about his upcoming rally don’t convince you he’s still alive (much as some of us might wish otherwise), a Reuters fact check proves conclusively that the whole thing was satire, including the CNN “report.”
