Sydney Kamlager-Dove calls Trump's health a security threat after he was seen dozing in meetings

WASHINGTON, DC: Democratic Rep Sydney Kamlager-Dove (D-Calif) on Wednesday, June 10, raised concerns about President Donald Trump’s health, arguing that repeated public appearances in which he appeared to close his eyes for extended periods raise questions about his fitness to handle national security responsibilities.

Kamlager-Dove called for greater transparency from the White House regarding the president’s health, while administration officials dismissed the allegations and defended Trump’s condition. 

Democrat raises questions about Trump’s health and fitness for office

Speaking on the House floor, Kamlager-Dove described Trump’s apparent tendency to close his eyes during meetings and public events as a matter requiring oversight.

“Mr Speaker, I rise today to sound the alarm about a grave national security threat, Donald Trump's sleeping habits,” Kamlager-Dove said while displaying an image of Trump appearing to sleep during a meeting.

The California Democrat argued that Americans cannot rely solely on official White House statements regarding the president’s health.

“In meeting after meeting, Donald Trump has fallen asleep in public, on camera, in broad daylight,” she said. “We cannot trust the White House on matters concerning the president's health because they are denying what Americans are seeing with our own two eyes.”

Kamlager-Dove questioned whether the president’s apparent dozing could extend beyond public settings.

“We cannot have a president asleep on the job. Is he sleeping in classified briefings, on calls with foreign leaders? How can we trust a president who is literally asleep at the wheel to make informed decisions about national security?” she asked.

She also criticized Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who testified before Congress earlier this month that he had never seen Trump fall asleep.

“Just last week, Marco Rubio seemingly lied to Congress about this when he told my colleague that he had never been at a meeting where Trump fell asleep,” Kamlager-Dove said, “despite being shown a video where the president dozed off right next to him.”

White House pushes back as debate over Trump’s health continues

The White House rejected claims that the president has been falling asleep during official events and maintained that Trump remains fully capable of carrying out his duties.

White House spokesperson Davis Ingle said in a statement that Trump’s performance contrasts sharply with concerns that surrounded former President Joe Biden

“President Trump's sharpness, unmatched energy, and historic accessibility stand in stark contrast to what we saw during the last administration when Democrats and the legacy media intentionally covered up Joe Biden's serious mental and physical decline from the American people,” Ingle said.

Administration officials have repeatedly denied that Trump is sleeping during public appearances, attributing the moments instead to blinking, resting his eyes, or listening intently. Rubio recently defended the president by saying he had “never seen him fall asleep” and arguing that Trump works with little sleep. 

Trump himself has dismissed concerns about his health and cognition, frequently pointing to cognitive test results and describing himself as being in strong physical and mental condition.