President Donald Trump addressed questions about his alertness on Thursday, telling White House officials that he was not asleep during a December cabinet meeting but simply bored when he shut his eyes for extended stretches.
Speaking in the White House Cabinet Room, Trump said, "Some people said, he closed his eyes. Look, it got pretty boring." He added directly to assembled aides and officials, "I didn’t sleep. I just closed them because I wanted to get the hell outta here." He reiterated the point with, "I didn’t sleep, by the way. I don’t sleep much."
The comments came during an 81-minute televised cabinet meeting that Trump shortened from its typical format by omitting several officials and foregoing a planned back-and-forth with reporters on current events. Video of the December session showed the president closing his eyes for several prolonged intervals, prompting questions about whether he had nodded off.
At 79 and serving what the White House describes as his final term, Trump has been attentive to perceptions of his vitality. He has publicly emphasized his cognitive fitness, directed aides to make more of his schedule visible to the press and at times hinted at exploring a third presidential run despite constitutional limits on terms. Advisories released to the press now include discrete items such as "policy time," "Signing Time" and "Print Interview."
Cabinet meetings as a public platform
Under Trump, cabinet meetings have shifted from their traditional, largely off-camera posture to a forum for showcasing accomplishments. Officials and the president have used the gatherings as an opportunity to highlight achievements they say receive insufficient attention from the media. In one instance last year, a meeting broadcast live on television stretched for more than three hours, representing, by available accounts, the longest continuous camera appearance of the president in public life.
Observers have noted that Trump has often been seen closing his eyes during that and other public events. On Thursday, however, he did not appear to have fallen asleep.
Broader context and prior comparisons
Questions about a president’s stamina are not new. The article referenced how presidential aides have pushed back in prior administrations when concerns have arisen. For example, Marlin Fitzwater, a press secretary for Ronald Reagan, was called on to explain an incident in which the then-70-something president appeared to nod off.
Trump’s immediate predecessor, Joe Biden, ended his 2024 bid for a second term amid public and intra-party concerns about his fitness for office at age 81. Trump has continued to use the nickname "Sleepy Joe" for Biden and has placed a plaque at the White House that implies Biden ran his presidency with an automated pen; Biden has denied that characterization.
Health disclosures and lingering questions
The White House has previously disclosed that Trump was the oldest man to be inaugurated as U.S. president when he took office last year. The president travels frequently, posts regularly on social media and engages with the press more often than his predecessor did.
Despite such activity, questions about Trump’s health have persisted. The administration released medical imaging tests that it described as preventative and said those tests demonstrated the president had good cardiac health. The White House has also explained bruising observed on the president’s hands as a consequence of aspirin he takes routinely as a prophylactic against cardiovascular disease; at times that bruising has been covered with makeup.
Reporting in this piece is limited to the events, statements and disclosures described above.