Overview
- Footage from Thursday's Oval Office announcement on lowering prices for certain weight‑loss drugs shows the president with closed eyes and a lowered head for extended stretches.
- The Washington Post and CNN reviewed multiple videos and reported he repeatedly closed his eyes and appeared to fight drowsiness for roughly 20 minutes.
- A White House spokeswoman said he did not sleep and emphasized that he spoke throughout the event and took numerous questions from reporters.
- Clips spread widely on social media, drawing mockery from Democratic critics including California Governor Gavin Newsom, who wrote "Dozy Don is back."
- The episode revived questions about fitness despite an October physician's note of "excellent" health and earlier White House explanations for bruising and ankle swelling as aspirin use and benign venous insufficiency.