President Donald Trump struggled to stay awake during a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday, Dec. 2, closing his eyes for extended periods while his loyal Cabinet members delivered glowing reports about their achievements. The 79-year-old president appeared to doze off multiple times during the almost 2.5 to 3-hour gathering, despite having just told reporters he was “sharper than I was 25 years ago.”
The Washington Post calculated that Trump had his eyes closed for extended periods or struggled to keep them open for nearly six cumulative minutes during the meeting. The president’s head rolled forward at various points as Cabinet secretaries took turns praising his leadership, with cameras capturing him from multiple angles as he battled fatigue.
Trump’s apparent exhaustion came after he spent the previous night in a Truth Social posting spree, sharing over 160 messages on the platform. The president had been active on social media from evening into the early morning hours, resuming his posts again before the midday Cabinet meeting began.
During the meeting’s opening remarks, Trump complained about media focus on his health, arguing that reporters should instead cover his border policies. He criticized coverage of President Joe Biden’s health compared to scrutiny of his own. Trump insisted he gives news conferences regularly and answers questions without scandal or problems, adding that he would inform the public when something was wrong with his health.
As Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke, Trump appeared to close his eyes and let his head drop forward. The pattern continued as other Cabinet members spoke, with the president’s eyelids growing progressively heavier during presentations from Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, Housing and Urban Development Secretary Scott Turner, and Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins.
Trump’s drowsiness became even more pronounced during remarks from Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Education Secretary Linda McMahon, and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. At several points, the president sat frozen with his eyes completely closed before eventually moving or nodding.
Cameras also caught Trump wearing two Band-Aids on his right hand, which he typically covers with makeup to hide persistent bruising. The White House has referred questions about the bruising to a medical report released on July 17, which diagnosed the president with chronic venous insufficiency, described as a benign and common condition in individuals over 70.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom seized on the footage, posting a video of the sleepy president with the caption calling him Dozy Don. The nickname plays on Trump’s frequent use of Sleepy Joe to describe his predecessor Biden, turning the president’s own attack line against him.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt defended Trump’s performance, insisting in a statement that the president “was listening attentively and running the entire three-hour marathon Cabinet meeting.” She encouraged people to watch his final answer at the press conference, where he criticized Democrats over immigration policy.
This incident was not Trump’s first apparent on-camera nap. The president dozed during a press conference on weight-loss drugs in November and appeared to fall asleep during a roundtable event on Dec. 10. He also struggled to stay awake during a meeting in Saudi Arabia in May.
Author Michael Wolff revealed that Trump becomes angry when he falls asleep on camera, essentially blaming the people around him for these incidents. Wolff explained that aides face a difficult situation because they cannot jostle the president while cameras are rolling, leaving them unsure how to handle the situation.
The Cabinet meeting came days after a New York Times article examined signs of aging in the president and suggested he has significantly reduced his workload during his second term. Trump has repeatedly attacked the article on Truth Social, calling it a hit piece and insisting he remains sharp and energetic.
A focus group of 14 voters in North Carolina conducted in November revealed concerns about Trump’s stamina. Eleven of the 14 participants said they had heard the president has trouble staying awake in meetings. The voters, who had supported Biden in 2020 before voting for Trump in 2024, offered various theories about his sleepiness, including that he might be too old for the demanding role or hiding health issues similar to what they believed Biden’s team had done.
Trump remains the oldest person ever elected to the presidency. During the Cabinet meeting, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem even thanked him for keeping hurricanes away, adding to the stream of praise that preceded his apparent fatigue.
