THE White House hit back at headlines claiming Donald Trump dozed off during a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday as questions swirl about the president’s stamina.
The 79-year-old appeared to struggle to keep his eyes open during the two-hour televised conference.
Trump closed his eyes for an extended period of time at nine points throughout the meeting, the Washington Post reported.
At one point, the president appeared to be nudged by Marco Rubio as the secretary of state spoke with the executive team.
The bizarre incident came amid a flurry of searing headlines from left-leaning outlets questioning Trump’s health and ability to serve his full term.
However, in a press conference on Wednesday, White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt set the record straight, saying Trump was “listening attentively and running the entire” meeting.
“In all of these historic meetings, the president and his incredible team highlight the exhaustive list of accomplishments they have delivered on behalf of the American people to Make America Great Again,” Leavitt said in a statement.
Trump’s apparent sleepiness comes the day after posted over 160 times on Truth Social between 7 pm and 11 pm, the Daily Beast reported.
Early in the meeting, Trump complained about the scrutiny he receives compared to his predecessor, Joe Biden, who he called “Sleepy Joe.”
At 79, Trump is the oldest person to assume the presidency.
Biden was the first octogenarian president and dropped out of the presidential election last year because of concerns about his mental acuity.
In Tuesday’s meeting, Trump blasted a New York Times article analyzing his aging and claiming he had a lighter public schedule.
“I’ll let you know when there’s something wrong. There will be someday,” Trump said.
“That’s going to happen to all of us. But right now I think I’m sharper than I was 25 years ago. But who the hell knows?”
HEALTH CONCERNS
The Times reported that Trump has trimmed his public appearances to between 12 pm and 5 pm, a change from his first term.
However, the White House said the Times only cited publicly available information, and insisted that Trump’s private log is filled with back-to-back meetings and calls.
His administration hit back at claims by providing the New York Post documents that they said prove Trump is working “up to 12 hour days.”
The president has also squashed concern by saying he got “all A’s” on his recent physical exam.
Source : https://www.the-sun.com/news/15586531/white-house-responds-trump-falling-asleep-cabinet/
