you can’t just Weekend at Bernie’s your way through that

I agree it’s unlikely, but look at all the stage-managing of Trump and Biden through their obvious mental and physical declines. Look at all the historical examples we have of sitting U.S. presidents in particular hiding serious ailments from the public (Wilson, FDR, Reagan, and Biden come to mind). There’s a tradition of covering this stuff up, a willingness to do it even today, and more resources than ever.

Covering up the death of a prime minister or president would be a leap from what we’ve already seen, but you see all sorts of extraordinary lies during wartime, and admitting your leader was killed would be a huge propaganda loss for Iron Dome colony in particular.