Kathrine Frich
Social media users quickly piled on.
When global leaders step in front of the cameras, every small gesture goes straight to the public.
Looking sharp requires absolute focus during long government briefings.
Just a few seconds of heavy eyelids can instantly become a brutal online punchline.
A sleepy moment
President Donald Trump held an Oval Office press conference on Monday. Officials gathered around his desk to discuss a massive new government partnership. The project involves a $15 billion steel facility in eastern Iowa, run by the foreign-owned company Mesabi Metallics.
Things started with a familiar political jab. The president praised his own administration before taking a swing at his predecessor. Addressing the room, he said: “Under sleepy Joe Biden, have you heard of him?”
But the energy in the room quickly shifted. As officials John Jovanovic and Howard Lutnick continued the presentation, the president appeared to drift off. Cameras caught his head hanging down heavily while his eyes stayed firmly shut.
Hunter strikes back
The people sitting near the president ignored his drowsy state and kept talking. But the internet immediately noticed the irony of the situation. Watching from afar, Hunter Biden wasted no time calling out the glaring contradiction.
Joe Biden’s son shared a photograph of the 80-year-old president sitting with his eyes tightly closed according to The Irish Star. He added a very short and sarcastic caption. The post simply read: “Sleepy who?”
This is not an isolated incident. According to a tally by Indy100, the president has appeared to fall asleep during public events at least 29 times.
Voters react loudly
Social media users quickly piled on. One user on X shared a video clip and wrote, “Trump is struggling to stay awake on camera.” Another person took a much harsher tone, typing out: “FOR F–K SAKE TRUMP IS LOSING CONSCIOUSNESS ON LIVE TELEVISION. SOMEONE CALL THE NURSING HOME.”
Some commenters made wild jokes about how his staff handles these situations. One user suggested that his 35-year-old aide Natalie Harp uses a device to secretly wake him.
The observer wrote: “Fortunately, Natalie occasionally presses on the small vibrator integrated into his diaper to wake him up.”
Others simply focused on the awkward reality of the live broadcast.
As one watcher noted, “They can’t nudge him awake because that would be obvious.” Despite the mockery, a White House official says the Iowa steel plant remains on track to begin production in 2030.
