White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt has dismissed allegations that President Donald Trump fell asleep during Sen. Lindsey Graham’s funeral on July 28, while simultaneously addressing concerns about bruising visible on the president’s right hand during the memorial service. Footage showed cameras zooming in on Trump’s bruised right hand at the funeral, prompting online speculation about his health.
Leavitt attributed the bruising to “tissue damage from frequent handshaking” combined with aspirin use, which can make bruises more apparent. The 80-year-old president delivered a eulogy describing the late South Carolina Republican as “a force to be reckoned with” before footage showed his eyelids growing heavy as the ceremony continued at Washington National Cathedral.
The controversy comes amid reports of mounting frustration inside the administration over ongoing military operations in Iran. Late-night comedy programs referenced reporting that Trump had an expletive-laden outburst in the Oval Office regarding the conflict launched in February, which has claimed 18 U.S. service members’ lives with hundreds more wounded. Leavitt denied those accounts, calling them “false” and asserting “the president has a great team whom he trusts.”
Spokesman Delivers Harsh Rebuke
White House spokesman Davis Ingle rejected suggestions that Trump dozed during Graham’s memorial, calling such claims reflective thinking about a departed friend. Trump “was reflecting on the loss of his dear friend,” Ingle stated, adding that anyone suggesting otherwise “is a depraved moron.”
Seated beside the president during Tuesday’s ceremony were JD Vance, the vice president, along with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Eric Trump. Social media posts rapidly circulated clips from the cathedral, with the account @HQNewsNow claiming Trump looked “completely passed out asleep” and user Aaron Rupar describing the president’s face as “drooping heavily” while fighting to remain alert. An Associated Press photo documented Trump seated with Vance, Bessent and Eric Trump throughout the memorial.
Recurring Episodes Draw Attention
Graham’s funeral marked the latest event where observers questioned whether Trump had fallen asleep. Last month, he seemed to drift off during an Oval Office gathering promoting the concept that church and state should not remain separate.
In May, Trump appeared to doze at an Oval Office event centered on maternal health, which officials dismissed by saying he was simply “blinking.” During February, he seemed to nod off at the inaugural session of what the administration called the Board of Peace, convened in the nation’s capital.
On June 4, footage showed Trump slumping in his chair as Energy Secretary Chris Wright addressed attendees during the unveiling of his “Trump Promenade,” a planned walkway extending from the Lincoln Memorial’s rear to the Potomac River. Following circulation of a clip from Kamala Harris’ news account, the administration’s Rapid Response operation countered on X that his eyes stayed “literally open in the clip you posted.” A report published June 5, 2026, documented that the president’s apparent aging had grown challenging to dismiss, despite Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s assertions that he never observes Trump sleeping.
Correspondents’ Dinner Raises Questions
Days before Graham’s funeral, Trump attended a downsized White House Correspondents’ Association dinner on Friday, where he was observed closing his eyes for prolonged periods as speakers addressed roughly 700 attendees inside the Waldorf Astoria ballroom. The venue, previously Trump International Hotel, took over hosting duties from the Washington Hilton, which had held the event for decades.
The July dinner served as a replacement after the April 25 event was canceled when 31-year-old Cole Tomas Allen breached security and opened fire near the ballroom entrance, compelling Trump, First Lady Melania Trump and approximately 2,600 guests to take shelter. First Lady Melania Trump, who was captured on film appearing terrified during the April incident, did not attend the rescheduled gathering. Vance, who recently became father to his fourth child, and Rubio, who had been conducting diplomatic visits across Southeast Asia, were also absent.
Despite the program’s pointed criticism — including video segments mocking his stance on press freedom and coverage of an alleged vulgar letter he sent to child sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein — Trump declared “the show must go on.” During his own speech, he floated renaming the dinner after himself, telling attendees that David Ellison, whose Paramount Skydance controls CBS, had told him next year’s event would bear his name.
Trump also targeted CNN’s Kaitlan Collins, describing her as “a young attractive woman” who “never smiles” and drawing comparisons to transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney. He ribbed Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. about beef tenderloin and joked about avoiding physical altercations with Communications Director Steven Cheung.
Late-night programs also highlighted a visit to Michigan where a heckler interrupted Trump by shouting “pedophile protector.” The administration maintains its stance that critics questioning the president’s alertness are simply wrong.