Overview
- Pool cameras and reporters documented the president with eyes closed multiple times during a lengthy Cabinet meeting, including as Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke.
- Two days later, he appeared to struggle to stay awake during a peace‑agreement ceremony with Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo at the U.S. Institute of Peace.
- Press secretary Karoline Leavitt denied he fell asleep, saying he was listening attentively and running the three‑hour meeting, and pointed to his closing remarks as evidence.
- A White House letter said October MRI imaging was preventative and showed cardiovascular and abdominal results were perfectly normal, though some outside physicians questioned that characterization.
- Reactions split sharply, with Democrats and commentators pressing fitness concerns as figures like Fox News analyst Dr. Marc Siegel downplayed the episodes by likening brief naps to Thomas Edison and asserting Trump demonstrates cognitive acuity daily.