Kenneth Glad
An official hearing shifted focus after video footage was introduced by a lawmaker. The exchange highlighted how public appearances can become part of wider political disputes.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio was pressed in Congress on Wednesday after Democratic Representative Ted Lieu of California raised questions about President Donald Trump’s behavior during official appearances.
According to PBS, Lieu played footage from a Cabinet meeting and asked Rubio whether he had been in more than one meeting where Trump had fallen asleep.
Rubio rejected the premise immediately. “That’s false. That’s false. I’ve never seen him fall asleep,” he said. “On the contrary, the guy doesn’t sleep, which is a big problem because he calls me at 2 in the morning, he calls me at 5 in the morning.”
The exchange took place during a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing, where Rubio was appearing to discuss U.S. foreign policy. Instead, part of the session became a dispute over what the videos showed.
Lieu then showed another clip from a Cabinet meeting and accused Rubio of misleading Congress. The Democrat said Trump appeared to be asleep beside Rubio while the secretary was discussing matters involving war and peace.
“You are literally talking about issues of war and peace, and Donald Trump is sleeping right next to you,” Lieu said.
Rubio responded, “No, he’s not,” and continued to deny that Trump had fallen asleep during meetings.
Lieu widened the accusation
Lieu also asked whether Trump had ever fallen asleep or struggled to stay awake in classified meetings. Rubio said he had not seen that happen.
According to The Independent, Lieu then referred to a French news segment about Trump at a Memorial Day ceremony, where his eyes appeared closed during part of the event.
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Lieu argued that such footage could affect how other countries perceive the president. Rubio dismissed that claim and objected to the direction of the hearing.
“I think it’s outrageous that I am before the Foreign Affairs Committee of the United States House of Representatives, [being asked] questions about sleep,” Rubio said. “This is a joke.”
The argument became sharper
According to Digi24, Rubio also defended Trump’s cognitive condition more broadly, saying critics may oppose his policies but should not describe him as impaired.
“I assure you, this is not a president that sleeps or is cognitively impaired in any way, shape, or form,” Rubio said.
Lieu pushed back more forcefully: “So you’re lying again. You’re lying consistently to Congress. You’re lying to Congress, Secretary Rubio,” he said.
He argued the issue went beyond one clip, saying, “The president’s inability to stay awake on the job has caused other countries to to perceive him differently. They mock him. They see he is weak and he is feeble.”
After Rubio called the questioning “absurd and ridiculous,” Lieu ended the exchange by repeating, “Just keep lying, Secretary Rubio. Just keep lying.”
Sources: PBS, Digi24, The Independent
