Fact Check: Did Trump fall asleep at Lindsey Graham's funeral?

WASHINGTON, DC: President Donald Trump has become the focus of online speculation after a viral video appeared to show him struggling to keep his eyes open during the funeral of the late Senator Lindsey Graham. The clip quickly spread across social media, prompting widespread debate over whether the 80-year-old president had fallen asleep during the service. Let's fact-check the claim.

Claim: Trump fell asleep during Lindsey Graham's funeral

Trump joined senior US officials and foreign dignitaries at Graham's funeral on Tuesday, July 28, at Washington National Cathedral. The longtime South Carolina senator and influential Republican foreign policy hawk died earlier this month from an aortic rupture.

During the service, Trump sat in the front row of the packed cathedral. Video footage showed him with his eyes closed at several moments, prompting some social media users to speculate that he had fallen asleep.

The footage also showed Trump eating a Tic Tac and handing one to Vice President JD Vance, who was seated beside him.

The clip quickly went viral on X, where users claimed it showed Trump sleeping during the funeral. One post read, "Trump appears to be completely passed out asleep at Lindsey Graham's funeral."

Another user wrote, "Donald Trump has just fallen asleep at Lindsey Graham's funeral."

A third post claimed, "Trump Appears Completely Passed Out at Lindsey Graham's Funeral. The president kept his eyes shut for an extended stretch as the service continued around him. This did not look like a quick blink or moment of reflection. He appeared fully asleep."

Fact Check: False, claim not supported by evidence

The viral claims that Trump fell asleep during Senator Lindsey Graham's funeral are not supported by conclusive evidence. The speculation stemmed from a video showing Trump with his eyes closed for brief moments during the service, but the footage does not establish that he was asleep.

White House spokesperson Davis Ingle dismissed the allegations, telling The Independent, "President Trump was reflecting on the loss of his dear friend Lindsey Graham, whom he just delivered a beautiful eulogy to. Anyone suggesting otherwise is a depraved moron."

Trump, who became the oldest person to assume the presidency last year, has faced recurring public scrutiny over his health, with critics pointing to occasions when he appeared drowsy during public events.

In May, CNN medical analyst Dr. Jonathan Reiner commented, "The president has severe daytime somnolence. He falls asleep very often. He's fallen asleep in the Oval Office on multiple occasions with people talking to him, in the Cabinet Room... And chronic insomnia is a severe illness. It can result in an increase in risk of dementia."

However, Reiner was speaking generally about Trump's public appearances and not specifically about the funeral.

During the service, Trump delivered a eulogy describing Graham as a "giant" of the Senate and a "respected statesman." He also remarked that Graham "never saw a war he didn't like," while acknowledging that the late South Carolina senator was not universally admired.