New White House book claims Trump falls asleep on the job: 'This is a joke,' says Rubio
WASHINGTON, DC: President Donald Trump's unusual sleep schedule is back in the spotlight after a new book claimed the 80-year-old commander-in-chief keeps increasingly unpredictable hours while serving his second term in the White House.
According to 'Regime Change: Inside the Imperial Presidency of Donald Trump', released this week by veteran White House reporters Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan, Trump's daily routine often leaves aides guessing whether he is already awake, making phone calls, or catching up on sleep after staying up all night.
Donald Trump's White House schedule reportedly follows its own rhythm
Haberman and Swan write that "time is a flexible concept" inside Trump's White House.
The authors claim Trump has not only reshaped the look of the executive mansion but has also altered the "rhythms and structures and operations of the place."
During his first term, Trump was known for arriving in the Oval Office around 10:30 or 11 am. However, the book says his schedule has become even more unpredictable during his second term.
"Some mornings Trump would be up early making phone calls and posting on social media while watching TV," the authors wrote.
On other occasions, aides reportedly struggled to contact him during the morning hours because he had remained awake throughout the night.
Book claims Donald Trump often stayed up through the night
One of the book's most striking claims involves Trump's late-night habits.
According to the authors, aides eventually realized that if they could not reach Trump between 8 am and 10 am, it sometimes meant he had spent the entire night on the phone, watching television, or posting online before finally going to sleep around four or five in the morning.
The book also recounts an incident in which staff members became concerned after nobody had heard from the president.
"One late morning," the authors wrote, "an aide reportedly checked on Trump in the residence only to discover that he was still asleep."
The book further claims that Trump and First Lady Melania Trump sleep in separate bedrooms.
Staff reportedly noticed signs of aging during second term
Beyond his sleep schedule, the book claims some aides privately began noticing changes in Trump during his second term.
"He had never been a big sleeper, but now it seemed to his staff that he was sleeping even less, keeping stranger hours than he had in his first term," the authors wrote.
According to the book, some staffers felt Trump was "beginning to seem old" for the first time.
The authors cited "moments of fatigue," "the cupped hand behind the ear," and what they described as repeated episodes of drowsiness during afternoon public events.
The book also mentions bruising on Trump's hands. It says aides initially attributed the marks to frequent handshaking before Trump reportedly explained they were largely caused by an extensive aspirin regimen he used as a blood thinner.
Marco Rubio rejects claims Trump falls asleep on the job
Questions about Trump's sleep habits resurfaced earlier this month during a Capitol Hill hearing.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio strongly rejected suggestions that Trump had fallen asleep during a Cabinet meeting.
"That's false. That's false. I've never seen him fall asleep," Rubio said.
He added, "On the contrary, the guy doesn't sleep, which is a big problem, because he calls me at 2 in the morning, he calls me at 5 in the morning."
The exchange came after Congressman Ted Lieu referenced a video and remarked, "You are literally talking about issues of war and peace, and Donald Trump is sleeping right next to you."
"This is a joke," Rubio responded.
