A tense exchange at a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing Wednesday turned into a dramatic public confrontation over President Donald Trump’s health, as Rep. Ted Lieu (D-CA) played three videos he said showed Trump sleeping at official events — then accused Secretary of State Marco Rubio of lying to Congress when Rubio denied ever witnessing it.
Rubio was testifying on the FY2027 State Department budget request when Lieu announced he would show footage from the December 2, 2025, Cabinet meeting — a session where Trump appeared to struggle to keep his eyes open during extended stretches while Cabinet officials gave updates, including Rubio himself.
“Oh, my God!” Rubio exclaimed when Lieu told him what the video would show.
Rubio pushed back hard after the clip rolled. “That’s false. That’s false. I’ve never seen him fall asleep,” he told Lieu, adding that Trump routinely calls him at 2 and 5 in the morning. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Lieu was unmoved. “Secretary Rubio, I’m going to show you in a moment a video that shows you just lied to Congress,” he shot back.
He then played a second clip — footage from a Cabinet meeting last month — showing Trump apparently dozing off as Rubio spoke about Ukraine and the Middle East peace process.
“You are literally talking about issues of war and peace, and Donald Trump is sleeping right next to you,” Lieu said.
“No, he’s not,” Rubio replied.
Lieu also played a French news broadcast covering viral footage of Trump at the May 25 Memorial Day ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery, where the president’s eyes appeared closed during Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s remarks.
“You’re lying consistently to Congress,” Lieu told Rubio during the exchange.
Rubio fired back at length, insisting Trump “works inhumane hours” and doesn’t sleep on overseas flights. “I assure you, this is not a president that sleeps or is cognitively impaired in any way, shape, or form,” he said.
Lieu’s closing was withering. “I just showed you three videos of him sleeping,” he said, as Chairman Brian Mast (R-FL) moved to the next member.
The White House has repeatedly denied that Trump has fallen asleep at public events.
Trump himself previously attributed his closed eyes at the December Cabinet meeting to boredom, telling officials: “I didn’t sleep. I just closed them because I wanted to get the hell outta here.”
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