Caught on camera with his eyes shut, Trump says he wasn’t asleep. Was it boredom, frustration, or something else?
Donald Trump has pushed back against claims that he fell asleep during a recent cabinet meeting, insisting that what viewers saw on camera was not dozing but deliberate disengagement.
The moment, captured during a live-streamed December meeting, quickly fueled renewed discussion about the 79-year-old president’s stamina and health. Cabinet meetings under Trump are known for their length, sometimes stretching beyond three hours. One session in August reportedly ran that long. This particular meeting, however, concluded after roughly an hour and twenty minutes.
Typically, these gatherings involve cabinet members taking turns offering lengthy updates and public praise for the president. This time, Trump opted to limit the process. After a 25-minute opening statement, he told the room he would only allow a few officials to speak.
Referencing previous criticism, Trump remarked that during the last extended press event, people accused him of falling asleep. He dismissed that narrative outright, saying the meetings can become “boring,” and claimed he closed his eyes simply because he wanted the session to end not because he was sleeping.
The president later reinforced that explanation in an interview with New York Magazine, again attributing his appearance to boredom rather than fatigue. He maintained that he is in “perfect health” and feels no different than he did decades ago. According to the report, a senior aide suggested that Trump’s decision to stop dyeing his hair was his only real acknowledgment of aging.
Health questions are not new for Trump, and he has consistently rejected them, often framing such concerns as exaggerated or politically motivated.
The meeting also raised eyebrows for who did and did not get called on to speak. Kristi Noem, the homeland security secretary, was notably absent from the speaking roster. Her silence comes amid growing controversy over aggressive ICE operations and the recent deaths of two protesters in Minneapolis during federal enforcement actions.
Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old ICU nurse, was killed during a demonstration on Saturday. Earlier in January, Renee Nicole Good, a mother of three, also died during a confrontation with federal agents conducting raids. The incidents have sparked public outrage and unrest.
In response, Trump has reportedly reshuffled parts of his immigration leadership, sidelining Noem and dismissing border control chief Gregory Bovino. Other senior figures, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, were also not invited to speak, though Trump offered them public praise.
In an unusual move, the president declined to take questions from reporters altogether, avoiding inquiries about his confidence in Noem or the broader immigration fallout.
Whether Trump’s closed eyes reflected boredom, frustration, or something more remains a matter of interpretation. What is clear is that even brief moments caught on camera continue to fuel broader debates about leadership style, transparency, and the pressures of the presidency.
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