Donald Trump has been widely mocked online for seemingly snoozing on the job. It comes after he regularly lampooned former president Biden's apparent doziness for years and repeatedly called him Sleepy Joe.
Viral footage sparks buzzer theory
Social media users are running wild with a brand new theory that the US President has employed a specialised staffer to wake him up, who has access to a 'buzzer' that she presses whenever he loses consciousness.
The bizarre rumours all started after now-viral footage emerged of Trump seemingly unable to keep his eyes open during an Oval Office event, which was live-streamed yesterday (August 10).
Eagle-eyed viewers spot pattern
Eagle-eyed viewers then noticed that, every time the Commander in Chief seemed to drift off, a woman standing behind him would apparently press her stomach, at which point Trump's eyes would widen.
Users began to speculate that the two things were connected, and that the so-called 'mystery buzzer lady' was employed to make sure the president wouldn't fully drift off to sleep.
Social media reactions
Speaking on the theory, one user wrote: "She has a button fitted on her belly, and when she gets the nod that he’s asleep she moves her hand and presses a button that wakes him. They're calling her The Zapper". The social media user suggested it appeared "to line up".
Another took to X to write: "She’s called 'The Zapper' Presses zapper on her stomach and it zaps Sleepy Don awake". And a third joked: "Bros getting rebooted like a malfunctioning laptop."
Skeptics push back
While many were taken in by the rumour, several users were keen to pour cold water on the idea. They pointed out several flaws in the outlandish theory.
One user pointed out that as the buzzer lady is standing behind the President, it would be difficult for her to see his eyes, while another added that the role would be easier if you weren't on camera.
The woman herself is conservative media entrepreneur and commentator Jayme Leagh Franklin, 27. She has not commented on the theories.
She is the founder of a site called The Conservateur, an organisation which describes itself as a "cultural force" that exists "at the intersection of culture, politics, faith, fashion, beauty, and femininity". She also previously worked under the Trump administration.
