A new video shared on 5 May 2026 by journalist Aaron Rupar on X has gone viral, showing President Donald Trump appearing to struggle to stay awake during a White House event, with children visible around him and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr speaking in the background. Rupar's caption was direct: 'Trump, surrounded by kids, is struggling to stay awake as RFK Jr drones on and on.'
The clip, which had amassed more than 37,700 views within hours of being posted, drew an immediate wave of reactions online — many of them drawing comparisons to Trump's own long-running mockery of former President Joe Biden.
This is far from an isolated incident. As recently as 23 April 2026, Trump appeared to nod off during alive televisedevent at the Oval Office, where his eyes were observed closing fully, reopening, and then fluttering shut again as Cabinet members and company executives stood behind him. That earlier moment also went viral and prompted significant public commentary.
Before that, in December 2025, Trumpappearedto wage a lengthy and often-losing battle with a midday nap during a Cabinet meeting, even as his Cabinet was assembled to engage in one of his favourite activities — singing his praises. In March, Trump wasphotographedwith his eyes closed and his head jerking during the Memphis Safe Task Force roundtable on 23 March, as Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth praised him from the podium.
The irony has not been lost on critics. In a resurfacedclipfrom 2024, Trump boasted about Joe Biden's tendency to fall asleep on camera, saying: 'He has an ability to fall asleep while on camera... in minutes, he's stone-cold out... You'll never see me sleeping in front of a camera.'
Trump continued criticising Biden on the subject across 2022 and 2023. After Biden's State of the Union in early 2024, Trump said that 'most of the time, he looks like he's falling asleep,' and later accused the then-president of falling asleep 'at every single event.'
Trump denied the on-camera drowsiness, saying: 'It's boring as hell... I'm hearing every word, and I can't wait to get out.' He separatelyarguedthe images showed him blinking: 'Sometimes they'll take a picture of me blinking. And they'll catch me with the blink.'
Medical analyst Dr Jonathan Reiner, who previously served as cardiologist to Vice President Dick Cheney,sharedan earlier clip on X with a pointed observation: 'When a patient tells me that they can't stay awake in meetings, we do formal sleep testing to look for sleep apnea... the president continues to struggle with daytime somnolence.' ReinertoldCNN's 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.'
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, responding to earlier episodes, said Trump had undergone a 'preventative' MRI and that his health remains 'excellent.'
Trump, surrounded by kids, is struggling to stay awake as RFK Jr drones on and onpic.twitter.com/hXrfk9uuSU
Source: International Business Times UK
