Video footage showed Trump appearing to nod off during an Oval Office event, prompting Democratic criticism and a White House denial that the president was asleep.
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump appeared to struggle to stay awake during an Oval Office event announcing price cuts for weight-loss drugs, according to a Washington Post analysis of multiple video feeds.
The footage showed Trump closing his eyes and slouching for nearly 20 minutes as Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and other officials spoke. The scene, widely circulated on social media, drew sharp reactions from Democrats who noted Trump’s frequent jibes at “Sleepy Joe” Biden.
“The national media would have had multiple strokes if Joe Biden was sleeping/passed out in his chair in the Oval Office,” former Biden aide Neera Tanden wrote.
White House spokeswoman Taylor Rogers dismissed the claims, saying, “The President was not sleeping; in fact, he spoke throughout and took many questions from the press.”
The incident comes amid questions about the 79-year-old president’s stamina following a series of late-night calls, foreign trips, and public appearances.