President Donald Trump, aged 79, appeared to fall asleep multiple times during a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday, December 2m 2025. Over the course of the session, he spent nearly six minutes with his eyes closed while his appointees commended his leadership.
The meeting in the Cabinet Room lasted between two and three hours. During this time, cameras captured moments where Trump closed his eyes for extended periods while Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth delivered remarks. The president had been active on Truth Social the previous night, posting over 160 times between the evening and midnight of December 1.
Before the meeting, Trump addressed reporters, asserting he was sharper than he was 25 years ago, and criticized the media’s focus on his health rather than his policy accomplishments. “I’ll let you know when there’s something wrong. There will be some day that’s going to happen to all of us. But right now, I think I’m sharper than I was 25 years ago,” Trump stated. As the oldest person elected to the presidency, Trump’s stamina and cognitive ability have been under scrutiny during his second term.
While Rubio described what he termed as a transformative year in American foreign policy since World War II, Trump was observed rolling his head and closing his eyes. During Hegseth’s speech, the president’s eyelids noticeably drooped. Other attendees included Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and Education Secretary Linda McMahon.
California Governor Gavin Newsom responded to the footage by posting a video captioned “DOZY DON IS BACK!” The nickname references Trump’s frequent use of “Sleepy Joe” to mock former President Joe Biden. Trump has often criticized Biden for his age and energy levels during and after the 2024 campaign.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt defended Trump’s attentiveness in a statement to the media, asserting that he was actively listening and managing the entire lengthy meeting. Leavitt highlighted what she described as an impressive final answer during the press conference.
During the meeting, Trump had two Band-Aids on his right hand. A medical report released on July 17, 2025, diagnosed him with chronic venous insufficiency, a condition common among individuals over 70 years old.
This event follows a November press conference on weight-loss drugs where Trump appeared to doze during remarks by Dr. Mehmet Oz. In May, similar behavior was noted at a summit in Saudi Arabia. More recently, he was seen waking up abruptly during a White House roundtable on December 10.
A focus group conducted by Axios involved 14 voters who supported Biden in 2020 but switched to Trump in 2024. Eleven of these voters said they had heard about Trump’s challenges staying awake in meetings. Their reactions to the footage varied from concerns about possible health issues to comments on his age in relation to the demanding role.
The New York Times reported in November 2025 that Trump is showing signs of aging and has significantly reduced his workload in his second term. Trump has criticized the article on Truth Social, labeling it as a hit piece and maintaining that he has not lost energy. In his response, Trump remarked that he is sharp, but critics are not sharp.
Author Michael Wolff shared insights into the president’s reaction to being seen sleeping on camera. According to Wolff, Trump becomes angry and blames aides after dozing during meetings.
On Fox News, Dr. Marc Siegel defended the president’s behavior by comparing him to Thomas Edison, who advocated for short naps, suggesting that Trump’s limited sleep schedule could naturally cause him to close his eyes during extended meetings.
The Cabinet meeting included regular praise from Trump’s appointees while the president appeared to struggle to remain attentive. At various times, he positioned his hands under the desk, rolled his head, and seemed to be motionless with closed eyes before occasionally nodding or opening them. This visible fatigue has raised questions about whether his late-night social media use affects his ability to perform daytime responsibilities.
Trump has maintained that he will notify the public if there are any health concerns, acknowledging that age-related issues are inevitable. Despite this, he continues to claim that he is sharper than in past decades, even as visual evidence of his challenges to stay awake during official White House duties mounts.