Trump says boredom, not sleep, caused him to close his eyes during cabinet meeting: 'I wanted to get the hell out of here'
Donald Trump keeps his eyes closed as Marco Rubio speaks during a cabinet meeting on December 2, 2025. Credit: Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP/Profimedia
US President Donald Trump said he was not sleeping during a cabinet meeting in December, when he was caught with his eyes closed several times, reports Reuters.
Commenting on the situation on Thursday, Trump said he was not sleeping at the time, but bored.
“Some people said, he closed his eyes. Look, he was getting pretty boring,” the president told laughing officials in the White House cabinet room. “I didn't sleep. I just shut them down because I wanted to get the hell out of here,” he continued.
“I didn't sleep, by the way. I don't sleep much,” Trump added.
The White House chief made the remarks in an 81-minute, televised cabinet meeting that was held in a shorter-than-usual format.
Aged 79, Donald Trump tried to dismiss speculation about his vitality. The president has touted his cognitive prowess to reporters, ordered aides to reveal more meetings on his agenda, and occasionally flirted with the prospect of running for a third term despite the constitutional limit.
During previous administrations, cabinet meetings were boring and largely held away from cameras, but under Trump they have become a stage for the president and his team to present achievements they consider underappreciated by the press, Reuters notes.
The Republican leader has often been seen keeping his eyes closed during these meetings and other public appearances, but not Thursday.
Other presidents have faced similar questions
Trump is not the first American president to receive questions about his vitality. Ronald Reagan's press secretary, Marlin Fitzwater, was asked to explain why he seemed to doze off during public events in the 1980s.
Trump's predecessor, Democrat Joe Biden, dropped out of running for a second term in 2024 after some voters and his party colleagues questioned his ability to continue in office at the age of 81. Trump himself still calls him “Sleepy Joe.”
Trump became the oldest person to be inaugurated as President of the United States in January 2025 at the age of 78. He travels, posts on social media and interacts with the media much more than Biden did, but questions about his health have persisted, including about medical imaging tests and bruises on his hands.
The White House said the tests were precautionary and showed the president was in good heart condition. He attributed the bruises, which are sometimes covered with makeup, to aspirin, which the president routinely takes as a prophylaxis against cardiovascular disease.
