President Trump has long relied on his vigor and high energy as a key part of his political persona, but many now say maintaining that image is becoming increasingly difficult.
Now, new pictures of the president has set the internet talking, with many noting he appears unusually tired.
More fatigued now?
Donald Trump, 79, is the oldest person ever elected to the presidency. He often seizes the opportunity to compare himself to, and mock, his predecessor, Joe Biden, who at 82 was the oldest person to hold the office. A striking example: Trump has displayed a photo of an autopen in the space where Biden’s portrait would normally hang in the White House.
“He sleeps all the time — during the day, during the night, on the beach,” Trump remarked about Biden in November, adding, “I’m not a sleeper.”
But according to The New York Times, there are signs that Trump appears more fatigued now than during his first term.
Americans see him less frequently, as a Times analysis of his schedule shows. He has fewer public events and is traveling domestically far less than he did at the same point in 2017, though he is taking more foreign trips.
His public schedule is also shorter than before, with most appearances falling between noon and 5 p.m.
His eyes were visibly drooping
And now, a new photo of President Donald Trump has sparked a firestorm on social media. During Tuesday’s Cabinet meeting, 79-year-old president appeared to struggle to stay awake as the lengthy session went on. His eyes were visibly drooping after he asked each member of his Cabinet to highlight their accomplishments from his first year in office.
The meeting lasted two hours and 17 minutes and covered a wide range of topics, including Trump’s firm approach to combating drug trafficking, concerns over his health, and a sharp critique aimed at Somali migrants.
On social media, users were quick to comment on Trump’s apparent lack of focus, dubbing him both ‘Dozy Don’ and ‘Commander in Sleep’.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt pushed back on these claims, insisting that the president was energetic throughout the session.
“President Trump was listening attentively and running the entire three-hour marathon Cabinet meeting,” she told the Daily Mail.
Criticized journalists for their questions
In recent weeks, Trump’s health has come under increased scrutiny, with Minnesota Governor Tim Walz calling on him to release his MRI results.
Trump did comply with the request, and on Monday, December 1, the White House released results showing a “perfectly normal” MRI with no concerns.
Before briefly resting his eyes, Trump once again criticized journalists for their questions about his health: “You always find something new, like, ‘Is he in good health?’” He added sarcastically: “Biden was great.”
“I sit here and do four news conferences a day. I ask questions from very intelligent lunatics. You people. I give the right answers. There’s never a scandal. There’s never a problem. I give you answers and solve your little problems,” Trump continued.
“You go back, and you can’t find anything, but you do, you do stories about Biden was in wonderful health. The guy couldn’t do a news conference for eight months.”
He added: “If I go one day, I had one day where I didn’t do a news conference. ‘There’s something wrong with the president.’”
“I’ll let you know when there’s something wrong. There will be some day, that’s going to happen to all of us. But right now, I think I’m sharper than I was 25 years ago, but who the hell knows.”
Trump’s “amazing final answer”
Trump’s vigorous defense of his health came early in the meeting, but roughly 90 minutes in, he appeared to struggle to stay awake as other Cabinet members spoke— earning him the nickname ‘Commander in Sleep’ on social media.
Leavitt responded to the comments by highlighting what she called the president’s “amazing final answer” during his exchange with reporters, in which he launched a strong attack on Somali migrants.
“Just go back and watch his amazing final answer in the press conference, where he ripped into the America-Last Democrats for allowing radical Somali migrants to invade our country and steal from American taxpayers,” she said, according to People. “This epic moment put an exclamation point on President Trump’s ninth Cabinet meeting of his second term — all of which have been entirely open to the press for the whole world to see.”
She added: “In all of these historic meetings, the president and his incredible team highlight the exhaustive list of accomplishments they have delivered on behalf of the American people to Make America Great Again.”
Targeting Representative Ilhan Omar, who was born in Somalia, Trump said: “She’s garbage, her friends are garbage. These aren’t people that work. These aren’t people that say, let’s go, come on, let’s make this place great. These are people that do nothing but complain.”
“And they complain and do nothing but b***h,” he added. “We don’t want them in our country. Let them go back to where they came from and fix it.”
