President Donald Trump held a Cabinet meeting on Friday at Camp David, the presidential retreat in Maryland, where his officials took turns praising his performance. During the session, however, the president appeared to have difficulty keeping his eyes open.

The White House has pushed back against recurring speculation that the president dozes off during public events, including Cabinet meetings, Oval Office appearances, and the funeral of Senator Lindsey Graham. A White House spokesperson stated that only "depraved morons" believe Trump was sleeping during Graham's funeral.

"President Trump was reflecting on the loss of his dear friend Lindsey Graham, for whom he had just delivered a beautiful eulogy," the spokesperson said.

A Pattern of Eyelid-Closing Episodes

Trump, 79, is the oldest person ever inaugurated as U.S. president, a record previously held by Joe Biden. The recurring footage has drawn inevitable comparisons to the scrutiny Biden faced over his own alertness during public appearances — scrutiny that Trump amplified throughout the 2024 campaign with his persistent "Sleepy Joe" attacks.

Friday's incident is not isolated. In February, Trump appeared to snooze during the first meeting of his Board of Peace (HuffPost). In May, he appeared to doze off during an Oval Office event on maternal health. At the time, the White House attacked reporters, claiming photos merely captured him "blinking" (HuffPost).

"He was blinking, you absolute moron," a Trump staffer wrote on social media (X).

During an early June Oval Office event with EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin, Trump was seen opening and closing his eyes abruptly as they discussed so-called "clean coal" (ABC News). In late June, he appeared to rest his eyes during an Oval Office event on the separation of church and state (X).

Such episodes appear to be occurring more frequently than in 2025. CNN reported on one incident in which Trump appeared to doze off during another Cabinet meeting in early December (CNN).

Late-Night Commentary

Late-night host Jimmy Kimmel addressed the Graham funeral incident on Thursday night's broadcast. He described the president sitting at his friend's funeral "with his eyes heavy, his face slack and the internet collectively whispering the phrase that must hurt him more than any indictment, any poll, any protest sign or any judge with a working gavel, 'Sleepy Don.'"

Multiple outlets reported after the funeral that Trump struggled to keep his eyes open or appeared to nod off (BuzzFeed).

"So, there it is, the man who branded Joe Biden 'Sleepy Joe' for years now, had cameras catch him in church looking like the WiFi went out behind his eyes," Kimmel quipped. "The irony is so thick it should have had pallbearers."

Kimmel noted that even at an event meant to honor Graham, Trump managed to draw the focus back to himself.