President Donald Trump insisted that he’s “not a sleeper” days after cameras caught him appearing to nod off in the middle of a White House event.
The 79-year-old president became late-night fodder earlier this month when he was filmed looking fast asleep—eyes sealed and slumped in his chair—while hosting an Oval Office press conference.
A more alert Trump made a point of hyping up his wakefulness during an Oval Office meeting with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, known as MBS, on Tuesday.
Noting Trump’s praise for MBS’ work ethic during his visit to Riyadh in May, a Saudi reporter asked the elderly president, “How do you manage your own time and what’s your formula for management?”
Trump replied, “He does not sleep much, and I don’t sleep much,” adding that both he and MBS, who is suspected of ordering the bloody execution of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018, are too busy “thinking about our countries” to rest.
But at a special ceremony during his May trip to Saudi Arabia, Trump was also caught with his eyes shut and once appeared to jolt himself awake, leading some online to label him “Sleepy Don.”
Trump proceeded to launch into a stream-of-consciousness monologue about his favorite punching bag—former President Joe Biden, 82—whom he is increasingly likened to amid his recurring mental gaffes and incoherencies.
“And if you sleep a lot and you’re president—we just had one that slept more than any president. He broke every record. He sleeps all the time, during the day, during the night, on the beach. The only guy could fall asleep on the beach with the press watching,” Trump said.
Circling back to MBS, 40, and himself, Trump claimed, “No, he’s not a sleeper. I’m not a sleeper,” and said he and MBS “talk at night” at the “craziest times.”
“When you love your job, when you love you country, and when you’re in a position like we are, future king, highly respected crown prince, and in my case, president, you’re thinking about your country,” Trump said, adding, “He thinks about his country and I think about my country—I don’t want to sleep.”
Trump’s supposedly tireless work ethic has become a staple MAGA myth. Vice President JD Vance has claimed that Trump “doesn’t have an off-switch” and wakes him up with random calls during the night.
But it appears his bizarre sleep habits don’t always translate to daytime alertness on camera.
The post Trump, 79, Does Damage Control After Oval Office Snooze appeared first on The Daily Beast.
