A video of President Donald Trump appearing to ‘doze off’ during the launch of his Board of Peace has surfaced on social media. The 79-year-old, with his eyes closed, can be seen struggling to stay in his chair as other leaders delivered their speeches. The moment was captured during Major General Jasper Jeffers III’s presentation, to be specific.
Viral video and reactions
“Trump humiliates himself, falling fully asleep during world leader speeches at his own “Board of Peace” meeting. He must be bored of peace,” one person wrote on X, platform formerly known as Twitter. They also attached the video of Trump.
“This is absolutely humiliating on the world stage. Trump does not have the stamina to remain president,” another one tweeted.
Trump explains sleeping during meetings
This is not the first time Trump has struggled to stay up during meetings. Just last month, he addressed a video from his cabinet meeting in December when he shut his eyes for several extended periods.
“Some people said, he closed his eyes. Look, it got pretty boring,” Trump told officials in the White House cabinet room. “I didn’t sleep. I just closed them because I wanted to get the hell outta here.”
He added, “I didn’t sleep, by the way. I don’t sleep much.”
Trump’s health issues
The 79-year-old is the oldest US president in office. There have been several questions about Trump’s health, including around medical imaging tests he disclosed and bruising on his hands.
The White House said that the tests were preventative and showed the president in good cardiac health. They have attributed the bruising, which is sometimes covered by makeup, to aspirin the president takes routinely as a prophylaxis against cardiovascular disease.
Trump’s speech at Board of Peace meeting
President Trump announced Thursday that nine members have agreed to pledge $7 billion toward a Gaza relief package and five countries have agreed to deploy troops as part of an international stabilization force for the war-battered Palestinian territory.
Indonesia, Morocco, Kazakhstan, Kosovo and Albania made pledges to send troops for a Gaza stabilization force, while Egypt and Jordan committed to train police.
Troops will initially be deployed to Rafah, a major population center where the US administration hopes to first focus reconstruction efforts.
The countries making pledges for reconstruction are Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, the United Arab Emirates, Morocco, Bahrain, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Uzbekistan and Kuwait, Trump said.
(With inputs from Reuters)