Irish Examiner view: Would we miss Donald Trump and would a successor be worse?

Having lapsed into uncharacteristic silence after a deadly shooting at a Catholic church, the US president re-appeared on Saturday as he embarked on yet another golf trip

There was much social media speculation about whether Donald Trump was still with us until photos emerged on Saturday of the US president with his grandchildren. Picture: Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP

One does not expect speculation over whether or not an American president is dead to trend on social media, but such was the weekend that was.

In the wake of another brutal mass school killing — this time in a Catholic church during a school Mass, Donald Trump, 79, was uncharacteristically silent and absent from public view. Indeed, comments from his vice president, JD Vance, about being ready to step in to the presidency if needed, fuelled speculation, if only because Mr Trump has shown signs of decline in recent weeks.