President Donald Trump, 79, appeared to nod off during a livetelevised eventat the Oval Office on 23 April, drawing renewed scrutiny over his health and alertness. The incident occurred during a drug pricing announcement with pharmaceutical company Regeneron, where Trump's eyes were observed closing fully, reopening, and then fluttering shut again as Cabinet members and company executives stood behind him.

The moment quickly went viral, but what amplified the backlash was a resurfaced clip from 2024 in which Trump had boasted about Joe Biden's tendency to fall asleep on camera. In that recording, Trumpsaidof Biden: 'He has an ability to fall asleep while on camera... in minutes, he's stone-cold out, and he's got cameras because he's the president... You'll never see me sleeping in front of a camera.' The contrast between that pledge and Thursday's footage was not lost on social media users.

Trump had gathered top Cabinet officials, health sector leaders, and drug company executives in the Oval Office to announce a pricing deal withRegeneron— the 17th pharmaceutical company to reach an agreement with his administration under his most-favoured-nation initiative. Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr and Dr Mehmet Oz, the Administrator for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, were both present for the announcement.

Roughly halfway through the televised remarks, Trump's eyes grew visibly heavy. They closed fully, reopened, then fluttered shut multiple times again while Cabinet members and pharmaceutical executives stood behind him. The White House maintained that the president was not asleep. Chief of StaffSusie Wilesstated he simply had his eyes closed and his head leaned back.

Journalist Aaron Rupar was among the first to share the footage on X,writingthat Trump was 'about to hit REM on camera during an Oval Office event,' adding 'it's just incredible.' Former Republican congressmanAdam Kinzingeralso weighed in, sarcastically posting: 'He's so tuckered out. Poor guy works 4 hour days what do you expect???!!!'

CNN medical analyst Dr Jonathan Reiner, who previously served as cardiologist to Vice President Dick Cheney,shared the video on Xwith his own recommendation for the president. 'When a patient tells me that they can't stay awake in meetings, we do formal sleep testing to look for sleep apnea,' Reiner wrote. 'I'm sure the White House medical team has done this, but the president continues to struggle with daytime somnolence.'

Reinertold CNNhost Jake Tapper: 'He's fallen asleep in a crowded Oval Office and he's also fallen asleep at Cabinet meetings with people talking directly to him. That's what's called increased daytime somnolence.' The cardiologist added that sleep apnea — a condition in which breathing repeatedly stops and starts during sleep — is one possible explanation, though he stopped short of a formal diagnosis.

Trump in 2024: ‘You’ll never see me sleeping in front of cameras.’ Trump in 2026: falls asleep on camera regularly

This incident follows a string of comparableepisodes. In March, Trump was photographed with his eyes shut and head jerking during a public safety roundtable in Memphis, Tennessee. Days before that, the president appeared to struggle to stay awake during a Cabinet meeting as Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth was addressing the audience.

Trump had previously dismissed such footage. In September 2024, he said 'How do you fall asleep when cameras are raging, right?' and told podcast hostAndrew Schulzthe same month: 'You'll never see me sleeping in front of the camera.' He has sincedeniedfalling asleep at White House events, telling New York magazine: 'It's boring as hell... I'm hearing every word, and I can't wait to get out.'

Source: International Business Times UK