President Donald Trump, who turns 80 on June 14, has been repeatedly spotted apparently dozing off in public, including while meeting the late Queen. Here are six occasions the President has been witnessed apparently sleeping publicly.
In the Oval Office
Only this week the President was caught apparently enjoying a swift power nap during a press conference in the Oval Office. In footage circulated on X, formerly Twitter, Trump can be observed seated at his desk with his eyes shut, leaning marginally to his right, before seeming to rouse and open his eyes. The footage was captured during a press conference announcing the removal of restrictions on commercial fishing in particular protected Pacific regions. Trump can be seen nodding off while Alaska governor Mike Dunleavy speaks on fishing's significance to America's economy.
At the NBA Finals at Madison Square Garden
This wasn't the first such incident this week. On Monday, the President watched the New York Knicks take on the San Antonio Spurs at Madison Square Garden in Game 3 of the NBA Finals. Despite professing to be a devoted Knicks supporter, footage shared online shows Trump, sitting alongside the team's owner James Dolan and his granddaughter Kai Trump, shutting his eyes and clasping his hands in his lap. His head seems to drop forward for approximately 45 seconds - an unmistakable indication that he's drifted off, before he seemingly wakes with a start. However, Dolan subsequently disputed claims the President had dozed off. Speaking on WFAN's The Carton Show, he said: "Where do they get this? I was with him the whole time. We were talking the whole time. Unless he was sleepwalking he was very much awake, he was very much engaged."
At a Memorial Day event
Just weeks before, Trump was observed appearing to nod off at a solemn Memorial Day event at Arlington Cemetery. Footage circulated on social media seemed to show Trump sleeping at the ceremony in May. Upon viewing the footage, one doctor suggested the President might be experiencing a particular health condition. Speaking to CNN, Dr Jonathan Reiner said: "The president has severe daytime somnolence. He falls asleep very often. He's fallen asleep in the Oval Office on multiple occasions with people talking to him in the cabinet room, and I was concerned yesterday that he might have fallen asleep at Arlington National Cemetery during Memorial Day observances. Chronic insomnia is a severe illness. It can result in an increase in risk of dementia, decrease in cognitive effects in older people."
At a White House Cabinet meeting
A turbulent White House Cabinet meeting in December 2025 saw the President apparently nod off while Secretary of State Marco Rubio heaped lavish praise upon him. Footage from the two-hour gathering shows Trump's eyes beginning to droop and close as Rubio catalogued his supposed recent achievements. "I think you deserve tremendous credit for the transformational aspect of our foreign policy," Rubio said. "For the first time in probably four decades, the American foreign policy is driven by what is good for America and Americans. Whether it makes us safer and stronger and more prosperous. If it is, he's for it. If it doesn't, he's against it. And that sort of clarity is transformational." In January, Trump told The Wall Street Journal that he does not fall asleep in public, but merely closes his eyes on occasion. "It's very relaxing to me," he said. "Sometimes they'll take a picture of me blinking, blinking, and they'll catch me with the blink."
In court
If there's one place where maintaining alertness is paramount, it's in a courtroom. Yet that seemingly failed to hold Trump's attention, as he reportedly dozed off repeatedly while facing charges over allegedly distributing up to $130,000 in 'hush money' to adult film actress Stormy Daniels in a bid to silence her regarding a purported affair. Journalists present inside the Manhattan courtroom in April 2024 documented witnessing the then-former President drifting off during the proceedings. Writing on the New York Times live blog, Maggie Haberman said: "Trump appears to be sleeping. His head keeps dropping down and his mouth goes slack." Trump - who at that time was pursuing a second stint in the White House following his 2020 defeat to Joe Biden - was convicted on all 34 counts of falsifying business records, though received an unconditional discharge as his sentence. He is challenging the verdict.
At Buckingham Palace
For most people, visiting Buckingham Palace would prove sufficiently thrilling to ward off drowsiness. Apparently not for Trump. During his first presidency, he received an invitation for a UK state visit, meeting Queen Elizabeth II and attending a state dinner held in his honour. Observers were left bewildered when he seemed to nod off while the Queen delivered her welcoming address. The Monarch was discussing the strong bonds between the UK and USA when Trump was spotted repeatedly shutting his eyes - at one moment even jerking suddenly, as though startling himself awake. Social media users rounded on the President, with one declaring: "You fell asleep during THE QUEEN'S speech! You are a total embarrassment to our country and the world."
