President DonaldTrump's healthreturned to the spotlight during a tense congressional hearing when Secretary of State Marco Rubio insisted he had never seen the president fall asleep in a meeting. Moments later, Representative Ted Lieu playedvideo footageof Trump dozing off while Rubio spoke, triggering a sharp exchange that ricocheted across social media and reignited doubts about what is really happening behind closed doors.
The confrontation comes amid renewed scrutiny of Trump's health, fuelled by comments from a medical professor who has suggested the president may have suffered a stroke, as well as continuing debate over the White House's assurances that Trump remains in excellent physical and cognitive condition.
During a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing, Rubio defended Trump's stamina and dismissed concerns about the president's fitness for office. He told lawmakers he had never witnessed Trump sleeping during official meetings and described him as someone who works long hours and rarely rests.
''That's false,' Rubiorespondedwhen Lieu asked him if he had been in more than one meeting where the Commander-in-Chief fell asleep. 'I've never seen him sleep. On the contrary, the guy doesn't sleep.'''
Rubio went on to defend Trump, saying the US president would sometimes call him at 2 or 5 am. Lieu responded, 'I'm going to show you in a moment a video that shows you just lied to Congress.'
A video from a Cabinet meeting in December was then played,showingTrump dozing off while Rubio talked about the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. 'You are literally talking about issues of war and peace and Donald Trump is sleeping right next to you.'
Rubio pushed back, saying, 'No, he's not.' Lieu, however, raised concerns about Trump's health, questioning whether, if he could not keep himself awake in front of the cameras, he might be struggling even more behind closed doors.
Trump has been seen multiple times sleeping during Cabinet meetings. On one occasion, during a meeting on substantial aid for farmers, hebolted awakeand corrected Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins on the budget, suggesting he had been listening rather than fully asleep.
Lieu and Rubio's exchange quickly became one of the most discussed moments of the hearing, with clips circulating widely online.
oh my goodness -- Ted Lieu played Rubio a video of Trump sleeping while Rubio tried to talk to him during a cabinet meeting. Then this exchange happened:RUBIO: I've never seen him fall asleepLIEU: I'm gonna show you a video that shows you just lied to Congress*plays…pic.twitter.com/yccC9GcYoq
Source: International Business Times UK
