'Stamina of lion': Internet in splits as Trump dozes off in court on first day of his NY hush money trial

MANHATTAN, NEW YORK: The ongoing hush money criminal trial of former US President Donald Trump in New York has garnered significant public attention within the United States. However, reports suggest that Trump himself appears disinterested in the Manhattan courtroom proceedings.

On Monday, April 15, the jury selection process commenced for the first-ever criminal trial of a sitting or former POTUS, according to the Independent.

During the proceedings, several courtroom reporters observed that the 2024 presumptive GOP nominee appeared to be struggling to stay awake, and may have even dozed off at one point.

The New York Times's Maggie Haberman reported that “Trump appears to be sleeping. His head keeps dropping down and his mouth goes slack.”

As a result, the former president has been nicknamed "Sleepy Don" on social media, and the moniker has gained popularity among users.

What is Donald Trump charged with in the New York hush money criminal case?

Donald Trump faces 34 felony counts of falsifying business records to conceal hush money payments made to adult film actress Stormy Daniels in exchange for silence over an alleged affair between the two before the 2016 presidential election.

Although the former President of the United States has pleaded not guilty to all the charges, Daniels contended that the affair between them happened in 2006, a year after Donald Trump married his now-wife Melania Trump.

Maggie Haberman also stated on CNN that Trump's dozing off in the middle of a trial is not necessarily out of character for the 77-year-old MAGA figurehead.

“There have been other moments in other trials, like the E Jean Carroll trial…where he appeared very still and appeared as if he might be sleeping,” she claimed.

“His jaw kept falling on his chest and his mouth kept going slack,” she remarked.

Although people do occasionally nod off during court hearings, Haberman imparted that "it's notable given the intensity" of the trial.

President Joe Biden’s 2024 campaign team’s rapid response page on X, titled ‘Biden-Harris HQ’ retweeted the video of Haberman talking on CNN.

Subsequently, the Trump campaign fiercely refuted reports that the former president had taken a quick nap in court, issuing a statement claiming, “This is 100% Fake News coming from ‘journalists’ who weren’t even in the courtroom.”

Internet in splits as Donald Trump gets trolled for dozing off during Monday’s court appearance

People on X mocked the ex-commander-in-chief for trying to fight back claims of him nodding off during the hush money trial proceedings on Monday.

One X user remarked, "The stamina of a lion... sorry, lyin."

Another user said, "He’s not used to having to clock in every morning like the rest of us."

Another user wrote, "Lack of sleep- tossing and turning. Realizing judicial consequences on the horizon."

One user argued, "Bro gotta sleep somewhere."

Another X user quipped, "So no different than when he was president."

Finally, this user tweeted, "That’s because he was up all night!"

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.