President Donald Trump appeared to be sleeping again during a White House briefing on Thursday. The incident is the latest in a series of public drowsiness episodes that have received increased scrutiny in 2026. Needless to say, the latest incident led to a lot of trolling online.
Donald Trump seemingly fell asleep during Oval Office briefing
The 79-year-old president was holding an Oval Office announcement on what he described as “Beautiful, Clean Coal” when his eyes closed for what observers noted was an unusually prolonged blink. Seated alongside Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, Energy Secretary Chris Wright, and EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin, Donald Trump leaned back and to the side, appearing to be briefly sleeping as the briefing continued.
The White House dismissed any suggestion that the president had fallen asleep. Spokesperson Davis Ingle told the Daily Beast what the administration has used repeatedly when addressing similar incidents. “President Trump is the sharpest, most accessible, and energetic president in American history,” Ingle said. “While the deranged and failing Daily Beast has their lightweight, glue-sniffing ‘reporters’ push baseless conspiracy theories — President Trump is working around the clock to make our country greater than ever before.”
This incident came just one day after Secretary of State Marco Rubio denied Donald Trump’s sleeping allegations on Capitol Hill. California Democratic Representative Ted Lieu confronted Rubio directly about the president’s public napping. Even presenting multiple videos that showed Trump dozing off during official events. Rubio denied the characterization despite the footage.
Medical professionals have also weighed in. Dr. Jonathan Reiner, who previously served as cardiologist to former Vice President Dick Cheney, told CNN last month that Trump displays signs of “severe daytime somnolence,” describing the condition as a “severe illness.”
During the briefing itself, Trump covered familiar ground, revisiting his criticisms of windmills, discussing military action in Iran, and touching on affordability concerns. He also signalled future foreign policy intentions, remarking that he would “handle” Cuba once operations in the Middle East concluded. Plus, he told those present he planned to attend Game 3 of the NBA Finals in New York City on Monday.
