Trump's Drowsy Moment In Saudi Arabia Puts His True Age On Blast (Sleepy Joe Who?)
One of Donald Trump's favorite insults for Joe Biden was to call him "Sleepy Joe," but ironically enough, there have been all kinds of moments in which Trump himself seems to have nodded off in public, like during his criminal trial over alleged hush money payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels. Then at the 2024 RNC, Trump appeared sleepy during some of the speeches. And now, yet again, the 78-year-old president is showing his inability to stay awake during his trip to Saudi Arabia. In footage on Fox News posted to X, Trump looked to be struggling to keep his eyes open during a multi billion dollar arms deal announcement with Saudi Arabia.
Trump is having a hard time keeping his eyes open in Saudi Arabia pic.twitter.com/t465VZicR6
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) May 13, 2025
It takes over 12 hours to fly to Saudi Arabia, which is also seven hours ahead of Washington D.C., and Trump just recently arrived. We know that jet lag is a real thing, but for someone who spent so much time calling out his political opponent for seeming tired, this is not a good look for Trump. And there are those who think that even a long flight and a time change isn't a good excuse. As one person put it on X: "In a surreal and frankly humiliating moment, Donald Trump just fell asleep during his own briefing in Saudi Arabia. This isn't jet lag — it's a walking security risk with a nap schedule. The man who calls himself 'sharp as ever' couldn't even stay conscious."
Donald Trump's tired appearance got people talking on social media
Plenty of people on social media called out Donald Trump's sleepy display while he was at a ceremony with the Saudi royal family. Some people had jokes. One gave him the nickname "Dozey Don," via X. Another quipped, "Get grandpa a werthers and another Adderall he is crashing out." One person said Trump must be conserving his energy to go golfing.
Some think that this moment highlights a double standard when it comes to Trump. "If this were President Biden, it would be playing on a non-stop loop on conservative outlets," via X. And then one person on X a prediction for how the White House would spin Trump appearing to nod off, "'He works 24/7 for the American people that he hardly sleeps.'" Karoline Leavitt, White House press secretary, has shown herself to be somewhat Trump obsessed and always promoting him as doing no wrong, so we could see it.
Trump's age and ability has been a concern for some Americans since before the election. And when he's seen on camera unable to keep his eyes open, it's not doing much to allay those concerns. Trump wasn't the only sleepy American official at the event. During Trump's speech at the event, both Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent seemed particularly tired.