President Donald Trump, 79, dozed off repeatedly during his own Cabinet meeting on Tuesday, Dec. 2, spending nearly six cumulative minutes with his eyes closed as his appointees praised his leadership during the lengthy session.
The Cabinet Room meeting lasted two to three hours, with cameras capturing Trump closing his eyes for extended periods while Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth spoke. The president had spent the previous night posting over 160 times on Truth Social between the evening hours and midnight of Monday, Dec. 1.
Before the meeting began, Trump told reporters he was sharper than he was 25 years ago and complained about media focus on his health rather than his policy achievements. “I’ll let you know when there’s something wrong. There will be some day that’s going to happen to all of us. But right now, I think I’m sharper than I was 25 years ago,” Trump said. The president is the oldest person ever elected to the presidency, a distinction that has drawn scrutiny to his stamina and cognitive state throughout his second term.
As Rubio discussed what he called the most transformational year in American foreign policy since the end of World War II, Trump rolled his head forward and closed his eyes. When Hegseth spoke during the meeting, the president’s eyelids drooped noticeably. Also present at the meeting were Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and Education Secretary Linda McMahon.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom seized on the footage, posting a video with the caption “DOZY DON IS BACK!” The nickname plays on Trump’s frequent use of “Sleepy Joe” to mock his predecessor, Joe Biden. Trump has criticized Biden repeatedly for his age and energy levels during and after the 2024 campaign.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt defended the president’s attentiveness in a statement to media outlets. She said Trump was listening attentively and running the entire marathon Cabinet meeting. Leavitt pointed to what she described as his amazing final answer during the press conference.
Trump had two Band-Aids on his right hand during the meeting. A medical report released on July 17, 2025, diagnosed the president with chronic venous insufficiency. Officials described it as a condition often seen in individuals over 70.
This incident follows a November press conference on weight-loss drugs where Trump appeared to doze during remarks by Dr. Mehmet Oz. In May, he appeared to fall asleep during a summit in Saudi Arabia. More recently, Trump jolted awake during a White House roundtable on Dec. 10.
A focus group conducted by Axios included 14 voters who cast ballots for Biden in 2020 before voting for Trump in 2024. Eleven of those 14 voters said they had heard Trump has trouble staying awake in meetings. Their responses to footage of the president dozing ranged from concerns about hidden health issues to observations that he was simply too old for the demanding role.
The New York Times reported in November 2025 that Trump is showing signs of aging and has significantly reduced his workload in his second term. The president has repeatedly referenced the article on Truth Social, calling it a hit piece and insisting he is not losing energy. In his response, Trump stated that Trump is sharp but critics are not sharp.
Author Michael Wolff shared insights about the president’s reaction to being caught sleeping on camera. According to Wolff, Trump gets angry and blames aides after dozing off during meetings.
On Fox News, Dr. Marc Siegel attempted to defend the president’s behavior by comparing him to Thomas Edison. Siegel noted that Edison believed in the 10-minute nap and suggested Trump’s limited sleep schedule might naturally lead to closed eyes during lengthy meetings.
The Cabinet meeting featured Trump’s appointees offering regular praise while the president struggled to remain alert. At various points, he kept his hands planted under the desk, rolled his head, and appeared frozen with his eyes closed before giving a nod or moving his eyes. The visible fatigue raised questions about whether the president’s late-night social media habits are affecting his ability to fulfill daytime duties.
Trump has maintained that he will inform the public when something is wrong with his health, acknowledging that age-related issues will eventually happen to everyone. However, he continues to insist he remains sharper than in previous decades, despite the mounting visual evidence of his struggles to stay awake during official White House business.