President Donald Trump appeared to catch some Zs in the Oval Office during a briefing on Thursday afternoon.
Trump, 79, let his eyes rest for a questionably prolonged blink during an Oval Office announcement on “Beautiful, Clean Coal.”
As the geriatric president was flanked by his sycophants, including Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, Energy Secretary Chris Wright, and EPA administrator Lee Zeldin, he appeared to briefly doze off, lying back and to the side in his seat.
Reached for comment, White House spokesperson Davis Ingle told the Daily Beast in a frequently recycled statement: “President Trump is the sharpest, most accessible, and energetic president in American history. While the deranged and failing Daily Beast has their lightweight, glue-sniffing ‘reporters’ push baseless conspiracy theories — President Trump is working around the clock to make our country greater than ever before.”
Ingle, 32, is a communications graduate of Florida’s Southeastern University, where his father, Kent Ingle, is president. SEU boasts that more than two-thirds of its students attend online or through extension courses at 200 “partner sites,” which do not have to be accredited.
During the briefing, Trump railed on his usual topics of windmills, his war in Iran, and affordability. However, he also remarked that he would “handle” Cuba after his war in the Middle East and that he plans to attend Game 3 of the NBA Finals in New York City on Monday.
Thursday’s snoozefest comes just one day after Secretary of State Marco Rubio was confronted by California Rep. Ted Lieu over the president’s frequent public napping, which Rubio denied, despite the Democratic congressman showing him multiple videos depicting Trump dozing off.
As the Daily Beast has extensively chronicled, the near-octogenarian’s various ailments have proven a major concern among Americans, including his bruised and makeup-slathered hands, his swollen cankles, and his public sleeping fits, which have become a common occurrence in 2026.
Dr. Jonathan Reiner, formerly the cardiologist of the late ex-Vice President Dick Cheney, told CNN last month that Trump has “severe daytime somnolence,” which he classified as a “severe illness.”
The White House has adamantly denied any reports of the president’s drowsiness, even launching a rampage on social media last week ahead of Trump’s physical exam, calling out reporters who have covered his naps.
“Third-rate loser @jeffmason1 cannot seem to keep his eyes open as he speculates (lies) about President Trump’s perfect health. Not good,” a White House spokesperson wrote alongside a screenshot of the Bloomberg reporter mid-blink.
The White House Rapid Response account targeted many of its attacks towards CNN journalists, including Inside Politics anchor Dana Bash.
“@DanaBashCNN FALLS ASLEEP AHEAD OF HER 55TH BIRTHDAY NEXT MONTH,” the account wrote. “WHAT IS GOING ON?”
“If only ! Thanks for watching,” Bash replied.
On Wednesday, Trump made his first public appearance since last Tuesday’s visit to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center for his presidential physical exam, the results of which were not released until late Friday night.
Many of the president’s public events have been closed to the press since his visit last week.
