The White House has responded following viral claims that President Donald Trump fell asleep during an event in the Oval Office about reproductive health.
“He was blinking, you absolute moron,” the official White House Rapid Response account wrote on X, above a post featuring an image of the president with his eyes closed.
It’s not the first time that there has been speculation over whether Trump has fallen asleep at a meeting, with questions increasingly raised about his age.
Why It Matters
Trump assumed office at the age of 78, the oldest man to do so. Throughout his second term speculation about both his health and age has grown, whether in response to pictures of him with his eyes closed or photos of him with visible bruises or blemishes.
Former President Joe Biden left office at the age of 82 and questions about his age and fitness plagued his time in the White House and his campaign for reelection in 2024.
What To Know
Posts that feature images or videos of Trump with his eyes closed, primarily shared by Democrat accounts, have quickly amassed hundreds of thousands of views online.
Reuters journalist, Idrees Ali, shared an image of Trump with his eyes closed at the meeting.
“U.S. President Donald Trump attends a maternal health event in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., May 11, 2026.”
That post has been viewed over 1 million times as of reporting.
The post from the White House’s Rapid Response account came specifically in response to that post.
But the conversation has swelled beyond this. The news account, Headquarters, wrote in a post viewed 1.8 million times: “That’s an awfully long blink!”
The official account for the Democrats wrote in a post viewed over 200,000 times, “Our nation’s Commander-in-sleep.”
Democrat Ted Lieu replied to the Rapid Response account, writing in a post viewed over 300,000 times: “That is a verrrrrrrrryyyyy long blink.”
The journalist Aaron Rupar shared a clip of the meeting to X, which appears to show Trump having his eyes closed at some moments, writing,: “Trump is about to hit REM sleep on camera in the Oval.” That post has been viewed 1.4 million times as of reporting.
There has been pushback against the sleeping narrative, though, beyond the response from the White House. The political commentator Link Lauren wrote in a post on X: “This is why you guys have no credibility. You take pictures of him blinking or nodding and make this crap up. If you have policy disagreements with the administration or genuine issues, that’s fine. We have free speech and open debate. But this is just silly desperate propaganda for clicks. Joe Biden was asleep and you said nothing.”
Trump previously told The Wall Street Journal that sometimes he closes his eyes because it’s “very relaxing to me,” and added that his health is “perfect.”
What Happens Next
Trump will celebrate his 80th birthday in June.
