President Donald Trump appeared to have difficulty staying awake during the opening session of his Board of Peace initiative on Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026, with cameras repeatedly showing the 79-year-old sitting with his eyes closed as international guests delivered remarks in Washington, D.C.
Trump spoke for more than 45 minutes before taking his seat onstage at the Donald J. Trump U.S. Institute of Peace, where he then spent several hours showing signs of fatigue throughout the three-hour event. His eyelids drooped noticeably while former British Prime Minister Tony Blair addressed the attendees, less than an hour after Trump wrapped up his own speech.
At one point, Trump straightened quickly when applause erupted, opening his eyes in a sudden motion. He appeared slightly hunched with his eyes shut as the Bahraini delegation spoke, and he again jolted upright when Kuwait’s representative stepped up to the podium. Cameras also showed his eyelids growing heavy during Major General Jasper Jeffers III’s update on the Gaza stabilization mission.
The incident added to a series of recent public appearances in which the oldest president ever elected has seemed to nod off in front of the press. Trump’s eyes were fully shut several times during a whole‑milk bill‑signing last month. He also appeared tired during a marijuana‑rescheduling executive order signing, looked worn down during a December Cabinet meeting, and was observed sleeping at a Rwanda–Democratic Republic of the Congo peace agreement signing.
The president has dismissed claims that he falls asleep during official events. In his most recent Cabinet session last month, on Jan. 29, Trump insisted he did not doze off during the December meeting, saying he had simply closed his eyes because things became “pretty boring.” He also argued that cameras merely captured him blinking, even though footage appeared to show more than that.
In a separate conversation with New York magazine, Trump elaborated on his Cabinet‑meeting remarks, describing the sessions as “boring as hell” and admitting he “can’t wait to get out.”
White House staff secretary Will Scharf offered a different explanation for Trump’s closed-eye moments. “It’s not dozing. Sometimes if he’s thinking about something — and I made that mistake at first too — he adopts a pose,” Scharf told reporters. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Trump was “actively listening” during those times.
The tired-looking episodes occurred even after Trump declared his Board of Peace the “most prestigious board ever put together” at the start of the event. When the three-hour session concluded, Trump remained seated as other world leaders gathered around him while he signed fundraising commitments. He passed documents to participants to hold up and handed out pens in a manner similar to a White House bill-signing ceremony.
Trump’s repeated habit of closing his eyes during meetings, paired with his frequent late‑night posting on Truth Social, has intensified scrutiny over the 79‑year‑old’s ability to maintain the demands of the presidency.
The president has attributed certain physical symptoms to medical issues, linking hand bruising to his regular aspirin use for blood‑thinning and ankle swelling to chronic venous insufficiency. His physician, Navy Capt. Sean Barbabella has continued to assert that Trump remains in “excellent health.”
Trump opened the Jan. 29 Cabinet meeting by speaking for nearly 25 minutes straight before acknowledging that not all members would have a chance to contribute to stay on schedule. “We’re not going to go through the whole table,” he said.
Trump has consistently claimed he feels as energetic as he did four decades ago, even as video clips increasingly show him fighting to stay attentive during lengthy public events and meetings with foreign leaders and top administration officials.