Trump seems to battle sleep during Cabinet meeting while secretaries praise him

WASHINGTON, DC: US President Donald Trump appeared to nearly fall asleep several times during Tuesday’s Cabinet meeting, just hours after a late-night posting spree on Truth Social.

His heavy-eyed moment raised concerns about his alertness, but White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt defended him, saying Trump was not disengaged and was listening “attentively.”

Trump appears to doze off during Cabinet meeting

During Tuesday’s Cabinet meeting, 79-year-old Trump frequently squinted and, at least once, fully closed his eyes. It was soon after he declared, “I am sharper than I was 25 years ago”.  Meanwhile, Cabinet members took turns highlighting their achievements and praising the president.

At one point, as Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick spoke, Trump appeared to close his eyes completely for several seconds before leaning forward to respond to Lutnick’s remarks.

Another viral video showed a 24-second clip of Trump seemingly dozing off while sitting next to Senator Marco Rubio, with his eyes closing and head nodding.

Trump’s tired appearance came just a day after a late-night posting spree on Truth Social, where he shared more than 160 posts between 7 pm and midnight on Monday, December 1. He returned to the platform early Tuesday morning at 5:48 am.

White House rejects claim Trump dozed off during Cabinet meeting

The White House issued a statement to People from Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt. She said, “President Trump was listening attentively and running the entire three-hour marathon Cabinet meeting.”

Leavitt praised Trump’s performance at the press conference, noting his criticism of Democrats over immigration policies.

"Just go back and watch his amazing final answer in the press conference, where he ripped into the America-Last Democrats for allowing radical Somali migrants to invade our country and steal from American taxpayers."

She added, “This epic moment put an exclamation point on President Trump’s ninth Cabinet meeting of his second term—all of which have been entirely open to the press for the whole world to see.”

Leavitt concluded, “In all of these historic meetings, the President and his incredible team highlight the exhaustive list of accomplishments they have delivered on behalf of the American people to Make America Great Again."

Trump’s late-night posts spark health concerns

Analysts have observed that Donald Trump sleeps less now than he did during his first term. They tracked his “late nights” by monitoring the timing of his social media posts and found a strong link between late-night posting and shorter sleep.

Trump typically wakes up around 6 am, yet he posts more frequently between 11 pm and 2 am than he did in early 2017. Over the years, his late-night activity increased significantly, and analysts say it cannot be explained by travel or seasonal changes. His followers also engaged less with these posts, giving fewer likes, retweets, and replies.

Text analysis of his speeches and interviews showed noticeable changes after late nights. Trump appeared less happy and almost three times more likely to sound angry. He has said he sleeps only four to five hours a night. His doctors say this schedule has always suited him and that his heart health is comparable to a 65-year-old’s.

By comparison, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that adults over 65 get seven to eight hours of sleep each night. Trump’s pattern of late nights raises questions about whether he gets enough rest and how it might affect his judgment and communication.