Donald Trump spent Joe Biden’s four years in the White House questioning the Democrat’s physical prowess and stamina and derisively labeling him “Sleepy Joe.” He still brings up allegations of a near-comatose 46th president, claiming Biden’s condition left official acts to his White House staff. But on Tuesday, it was the 79-year-old Trump who appeared to fall asleep a handful of times during a Cabinet meeting that spanned more than two hours.
Journalists positioned across from Trump in the White House’s ornate Cabinet Room chronicled him sitting with eyes closed, his head sometimes rocking forward or to the side as his administration’s department and agency heads spoke. Last up was Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who praised his boss, as his fellow Cabinet members had — though it was unclear how much Trump heard.
“What the president has said is we’re going to do foreign aid, but we’re going to do foreign aid for countries that are aligned with the United States and in a way that doesn’t waste the taxpayers’ money,” Rubio said as Trump sat beside him, both eyes closed before his body suddenly jolted forward and his eyes opened. “Mr. President, you deserve tremendous credit for that.”
Several veteran House and Senate Democrats viewed the scene, the second such public instance in several weeks of Trump appearing to doze off, as a reason to question the president’s well-being. Questions have swirled around Trump’s health after his second physical this year at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in October. (He had his yearly checkup there in April.)
“I don’t think this president is up to the job. I have thought that for a long time. That’s why Congress needs to do its job,” House Rules ranking member Jim McGovern said Thursday, panning Republican leaders for, in his view, coddling the president.
“We need to do oversight, and we need to have a leadership here that doesn’t try to hide all of his mistakes and all of his inadequacies,” the 66-year-old Massachusetts Democrat added. “I’m not a medical doctor. I’m worried about his policies that I think are doing great harm to people that I care about and that I represent.”
Democratic Rep. James E. Clyburn said he was less worried about Trump’s physical and mental status, calling that “a concern for the Republicans.”
“Maybe he just needs sleep,” the 85-year-old South Carolinian said Thursday, hours before Trump was again observed closing his eyes several times during an event at the U.S. Institute of Peace, which now bears his name on its outer facade. “I don’t worry about it, but there’s something going on medically. Just listen to him.”
One of Trump’s top allies in the Senate, however, disagreed, chuckling when asked about the apparent Cabinet Room snoozes.
“Trump is an amazing specimen,” Wisconsin Republican Ron Johnson said. “I mean, he’s a scratch golfer, basically. I mean, have you ever seen a president as energetic or as engaged as this president?