President Donald Trump appeared to be sleepy during a White House drug pricing event. His eyes were fluttering shut as Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. heaped praise on him. The episode added another one to a growing list of public moments where the 80-year-old commander-in-chief has appeared to nod off.
Donald Trump appeared drowsy during an Oval Office event
Trump gathered Cabinet members, pharmaceutical executives, and reporters in the Oval Office to announce new agreements with drug companies promising lower prices on certain medications. But roughly 15 minutes into the hour-long event, the president’s eyelids began to droop.
RFK Jr. launched into praise as Trump’s head dipped. “This could not have happened under any other president except for this one,” Kennedy said. Donald Trump managed occasional sleepy nods, but his eyes remained mostly closed while Dr. Mehmet Oz and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick added their own commendation.
After all, cameras caught Trump’s eyelids fluttering open and shut in what appeared to be a losing fight against sleep. He kept his eyes closed for more than 20 seconds at one point, slumping forward before straightening up just as Lutnick declared, “It’s all thanks to you, because nobody thought that this was possible.” Trump stayed largely alert during remarks from pharmaceutical executives, but the sleepiness was already visible.
This is at least the 20th time Trump has appeared to fall asleep during a public event. Earlier this month, he slumped in his chair while signing an executive order on childhood vaccines. Kennedy sat nearby during that episode as well (via The Daily Beast).
Last month, Trump repeatedly dozed off at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner. The president’s team has dismissed such moments, claiming cameras simply caught him blinking. Trump himself has said he closes his eyes in Cabinet meetings because they bore him.
White House spokesman Davis Ingle pushed back when asked for comment. He called Trump’s energy “unmatched” and accused critics of pushing baseless conspiracy theories. Ingle argued that Trump’s sharpness and work ethic contrast sharply with what he called Biden’s decline, which he said Democrats and the media covered up.
