Donald Trump. Photo: Video capture
Images showing US President Donald Trump with his eyes closed during statements made in the Oval Office circulated widely on social networks this weekend, CNN reports.
Trump attended an official price cut announcement on the popular weight loss drug on Thursday, speaking from behind the Resolute office alongside other officials. This is the same conference where a pharmaceutical executive passed out in the Oval Office.
At times, Trump appeared to have his eyes closed, and at others he seemed to struggle to keep them open. At one point, he rubbed his eyes.
The images drew swift criticism from Trump's political opponents. The press office of the governor of California, Democrat Gavin Newsom, one of the main opponents of the president, shared the images from the event and wrote: “Sleepy Don is back.”
White House reaction
White House spokesman Taylor Rogers told CNN that “the president was not sleeping.”
“In fact, he spoke throughout the event and answered many questions from the media during this announcement, which represents a historic price reduction for Americans on two drugs that help Americans struggling with diabetes, heart disease, obesity and other conditions (…),” the White House official said.
DOZY DON IS BACK! pic.twitter.com/TQHaMi9YaF
— Governor Newsom Press Office (@GovPressOffice) November 7, 2025
Trump regularly appears in public and participates in lengthy question-and-answer sessions with reporters. Aides and cabinet members routinely praise his resilience and describe receiving phone calls or texts from him at all hours.
A day before Thursday's event, Trump traveled to Miami to give an economic speech that lasted more than an hour. Also, at the end of last month, he toured three countries in Asia.
Even so, questions about the health of Trump, 79, have persisted since he took office as the oldest man ever to hold the office. The president said last month that he underwent an MRI during a medical checkup at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, without specifying why.
