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By Hannah Parry
Associate News Editor
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President Donald Trump was accused of falling asleep during an Oval Office event on Monday, with critics pointing out the irony, as he has repeatedly attacked former President Joe Biden as “Sleepy Joe” over the years.
The White House has consistently rejected suggestions that Trump's closed eyes during public appearances indicate that he is falling asleep or experiencing a health problem. Trump himself has said he sometimes closes his eyes because he finds it relaxing and has denied actually sleeping during meetings.
But that hasn't stopped Democratic California Governor Gavin Newsom's press office from branding him "Dozy Don," a play on Sleepy Joe, in connection to the moments where he has seemingly struggled to keep his eyes open.
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Newsweek has reached out to the White House via email for comment.
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The Moments Fueling the 'Dozy Don' Nickname
Trump has faced a growing number of accusations that he appeared to fall asleep or nod off during public events in his second term.
One of the most prominent incidents came in November 2025, during an Oval Office event on lower prices for weight-loss drugs. Trump appeared to struggle to keep his eyes open for nearly 20 minutes, at times sitting with his eyes closed or slumped at the Resolute Desk. The White House rejected the characterization that he was asleep.
A month later, Trump appeared to doze repeatedly during a televised Cabinet meeting that lasted more than two hours. Video showed him with his eyes closed while Cabinet officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, spoke. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Trump was “listening attentively and running the entire three-hour marathon Cabinet meeting.”
Trump later offered his own explanation. During a January Cabinet meeting, he said he had not been sleeping during the December gathering, but was bored.
“Some people said, he closed his eyes. Look, it got pretty boring,” Trump said. “I didn't sleep. I just closed them because I wanted to get the hell outta here.”
He added: “I didn't sleep, by the way. I don't sleep much.”
Another widely discussed episode came on April 23, 2026, during an Oval Office event at which Trump announced a drug-pricing agreement with Regeneron. Official footage showed Trump closing his eyes at various points while sitting at the desk. A widely circulated image purporting to show him fully asleep, however, was doctored.
On June 4, Trump faced another round of scrutiny during an Oval Office announcement on a $700 million investment in the coal industry. A review of the roughly 76-minute event identified five separate moments in which Trump appeared to nod off, with his eyes closing and his head dipping before he reopened his eyes. The White House rejected the characterization that Trump had fallen asleep.
The issue resurfaced during the July 4 Independence Day celebrations, when footage showed Trump sitting with his eyes closed during the fireworks. The footage prompted speculation that he had briefly dozed off, although some of the most widely circulated imagery purporting to show him asleep was found to be misleading or fabricated.
In June, Trump appeared to fall asleep during Game 3 of the NBA Finals between the New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs at Madison Square Garden in New York. The footage prompted criticism from ESPN host Stephen A. Smith, who told Trump, “It's clear you need your rest.” Trump later attacked Smith on Truth Social.
The president was also seen appearing to nod off at the funeral of Senator Lindsey Graham in July. Because the clip showed only a brief period in which Trump's eyes were closed and his head dipped, it was less definitive than some of the longer meeting footage.
The latest incident occurred Monday, when Trump, 80, repeatedly appeared to close his eyes as Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and National Institutes of Health Director Jay Bhattacharya spoke during an Oval Office event.
Biden's 'Sleepy Joe' Moments
Biden faced a similar—and ultimately much more consequential—political narrative during his presidency, as individual moments of apparent drowsiness became part of a broader debate over his age and fitness for office.
One of the most widely circulated incidents occurred at the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow, Scotland, in November 2021. Biden appeared to close his eyes for an extended period during opening speeches, and video showed an aide approaching him before he resumed watching the proceedings. The footage was widely described at the time as Biden appearing to fall asleep.
Biden was also accused of falling asleep during a 2022 meeting in Saudi Arabia, although the footage was disputed and fact-checkers concluded that it did not establish that he had actually been asleep. Similarly, viral clips from a 2023 event with Maui wildfire survivors were used to claim Biden had fallen asleep, but the footage was found to be misleading and taken out of context.
The former president also faced renewed “Sleepy Joe” jabs after Trump’s 2025 inauguration. During the ceremony at the U.S. Capitol, Biden was filmed with his eyes closed for roughly 20 seconds while then-Senator Deb Fischer was speaking. It was unclear whether Biden had actually fallen asleep, but the footage prompted speculation online and revived references to Trump's long-running nickname for his predecessor.
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Perhaps the most consequential discussion of Biden's stamina came after his June 2024 debate against Trump.
Biden later acknowledged that he had nearly fallen asleep during the debate, attributing his poor performance in part to exhaustion after foreign travel.
That debate proved far more consequential than any individual video of Biden with his eyes closed. His age and mental fitness became central issues in the 2024 campaign, and Biden ultimately ended his reelection campaign weeks after the event.
Is There a Medical Concern?
Closing one's eyes or briefly appearing to nod off on camera is not enough to diagnose a medical condition, and there is no public evidence establishing that Trump's appearances are caused by a particular illness.
But persistent excessive daytime sleepiness can have medical causes. Mayo Clinic sleep specialist Dr. Virend Somers has said excessive daytime sleepiness can indicate that a person is not getting enough restorative sleep or may have an underlying sleep disorder. Sleep apnea, for example, can cause daytime sleepiness and difficulty concentrating and is more common among older adults.
Trump's age is also relevant to the discussion. He is the oldest person in U.S. history to serve as president.
Still, there is no basis from video clips alone to conclude that Trump has a sleep disorder, cognitive impairment or another medical condition. His White House physician reported in 2025 that Trump was in “excellent cognitive and physical health” and “fully fit to execute” his presidential duties.
A more recent medical report has likewise described Trump as being in excellent overall health.
What Does the White House Say?
The White House has repeatedly pushed back against what it calls “armchair diagnosis” of the president, and has defended Trump's energy and alertness.
After the December 2025 Cabinet meeting, Leavitt said Trump was “listening attentively,” while Trump himself said he had simply been bored. White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles also rejected claims that Trump was routinely falling asleep, saying he sometimes closes his eyes and leans back while remaining alert.
The administration has also pointed to Trump's unusually long public meetings and extensive travel schedule as evidence of his stamina.
That defense mirrors, in some ways, the arguments made by Biden's supporters during his presidency: a brief moment with closed eyes does not necessarily mean a president has fallen asleep, and an isolated clip cannot establish a medical diagnosis.
Could It Affect the Iran Negotiations?
The latest incident comes at a particularly sensitive moment for Trump's foreign policy. The United States and Iran remain engaged in difficult negotiations over a broader agreement, with the Strait of Hormuz and terms of a potential deal among the core issues. Reuters reported Monday that hopes for a U.S.-Iran peace agreement and reopening of the strait had faded, adding to market uncertainty.
There is no indication that Iranian officials have publicly commented on Trump's apparent dozing during Monday's vaccine event, and there is no evidence it has impacted negotiations.
For the White House, the political concern is less likely to be whether a few seconds of closed eyes changes Tehran's negotiating position than whether repeated images of Trump appearing tired reinforce an argument that his political opponents have been making for months: that the president's age and stamina deserve greater scrutiny.
Aging Presidents Have Become a Political Issue
Trump was the oldest person to assume the presidency, at age 78. Biden at 82 was the oldest president when he left office in January 2025.
A February 2024 ABC News/Ipsos poll found that 86 percent of Americans considered Biden, then 81, too old to serve another term, compared with 62 percent who said the same about Trump, then 77.
Trump's second term has brought the age question back into focus. In an April 2026 Economist/YouGov poll, 48 percent of Americans said Trump was experiencing either significant or modest cognitive decline, while 51 percent said his mental faculties had declined during 2025 and early 2026. On physical decline, 51 percent likewise said they believed Trump was experiencing at least some decline.
A Reuters/Ipsos poll published in February this year found that about six in 10 Americans believed Trump had become more erratic with age, including a significant minority of Republicans.
The polling does not establish that Trump or Biden was medically unfit for office. But it shows that age and presidential fitness are not simply partisan talking points. Voters have repeatedly expressed concerns about whether an aging president can maintain the stamina, judgment and mental acuity required by the job.
Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Samantha Beech and Edward T. Cummins.
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