A recent Oval Office meeting unfolded exactly the way Donald Trump typically prefers — surrounded by officials eager to sing his praises.
Cabinet members and health officials packed the room, taking turns crediting the president as he sat behind the Resolute Desk.
But all that praise barely seemed to register. Trump appeared unusually disengaged, offering little reaction even as the compliments kept coming.
On Monday, Aug. 31, pharmaceutical executives filled the gaps in the room. Nine more drugmakers had signed on to Trump’s “most favored nation” pricing push, and the president called it “as big as it gets medically.”
At one point, Trump even stopped to check on Robert F. Kennedy Jr., but someone should have been checking on him instead.
‘I’m Crying with Laughter’: Trump Nods Off, Wakes Up Swinging and the Speaker’s Reaction Goes Viral
When the POTUS stopped talking, he let his officials take over. The cameras stayed on him anyway, catching him as he seemingly drifted in and out of sleep.
Clips on X and Threads show Trump’s eyelids drooping, reopening and sinking again for roughly two minutes as the men behind him praised the deal.
His chin drifted toward his chest before he pulled it back up. Video footage posted online has some social media users convinced Trump was “completely passed out asleep.”
But one moment turned a clip into a viral moment, and it wasn’t just his rolling eyes. It was everyone else going on in the frame.
View on Threads
Officials kept praising Trump. Hands kept gesturing toward the desk.
At one point, a speaker turned and motioned toward Trump, who, on camera, did not appear to register it.
Viewers also noticed Dr. Mehmet Oz’s repeated hand gestures toward Trump, who seemingly wasn’t listening. At least, not fully.
At one point, the president woke up confused and immediately turned to Kennedy and asked, “Bobby, you okay?”
Ironically, someone may have needed to check on Trump instead after he nearly nodded off at the desk.
Trump: Bobby? You ok?
— Acyn (@Acyn) August 31, 2026
RFK JR: I’m good Mr. President. pic.twitter.com/72TJ52Rfe5
“It appears as if Oz moves closer so he can nudge him awake,” one social media user joked. “Trump’s not sleep, he’s buffering,” another commented.
A third person pointed out, “He almost hit the de[s]k.”
Meanwhile, another person went further, writing: “He counts on his daily press conferences for his nap time.”
Some were quick to keep it all the way real. “To be fair, I’d fall asleep too if I had to listen to RFK.”
At one point in the discussion, Kennedy went on at length about his uncle, President John F. Kennedy, praising him for signing legislation that strengthened oversight of the FDA.
As Kennedy continued, Trump appeared to grow restless, letting out a heavy sigh and slightly rolling his eyes before Kennedy could finish his thought.
But Kennedy quickly shifted the praise back to Trump — and in the process revealed something far more striking. He recalled Trump bluntly warning him that if TrumpRx failed to get off the ground, there could be consequences.
“Calls me and Oz (Dr. Oz) every hour of the day. He’s made it very clear that our jobs were dependent on this getting through,” Kennedy said, describing Trump’s warning that he could be fired if the program did not succeed.
Trump never looked up, but the moment Kennedy revealed the warning, the president suddenly broke into a laugh, appearing amused as Kennedy told the room their secret.
Trump’s repetitive pattern of failing to stay alert has become a real talking point, though.
In May, Trump struggled to stay awake during a TrumpRx event as Dr. Oz rushed through his remarks. A mysterious arm twitch then stole the show.
Oz has also drawn scrutiny for his comments about Trump, including an interview that raised questions about the president’s health.
He recalled Trump telling him that diet soda is good for him “because it kills grass,” leading Trump to believe it could also kill cancer cells.
Elsewhere, Kennedy has been just as loose, recently offering a startling explanation for why Trump won’t eat at small restaurants and demands “boxes and boxes” of McDonald’s.
It’s also worth mentioning that just days ago, on Aug. 21, Trump made headlines for taking a jab at Joe Biden, referring to him as “sleepy Joe Biden” during a South Carolina political rally. “So less than two years ago, sleepy Joe Biden, have you heard of him? No,” he said. “And the radical left Democrats handed us a complete and total affordability and security disaster.”
While the joke may have landed with his supporters, the real laughter came on social media shortly afterward.
People began cross-referencing the countless times they had seen Trump sleeping on camera, and the pattern was real.
View on Threads
A day prior, he supported Melania Trump at the White House Rose Garden after her month-long public absence.
During the event, the first lady announced a $2 million scholarship and expanded support for young people leaving foster care.
But Melania was completely overshadowed by her husband, who was photographed appearing to take a nap at the event.
Trump’s head was slouched and facing down, with a single button keeping his suit jacket closed… or as social media put it, “that button on his jacket is holding on for dear life.”
View on Threads
In February, similar concerns arose when footage showed Trump seemingly struggling to keep his eyes open. He appeared to nod off while listening to Rep. Jonathan Jackson’s sermon at the 74th National Prayer Breakfast.
“Is he sleeping standing up because he’s not responding to the dig that Congressman Jonathan Jackson is making about him,” one person asked.
Lost in the nap talk was Trump’s drug-pricing deal with nine drugmakers, which will give state Medicaid programs access to prices charged abroad.
Countries with national health systems have long negotiated steep drug discounts. Trump’s deal aims to bring those savings to U.S. Medicaid.
In exchange, they get exempted from similar pricing rules in Medicare and shielded from Trump’s pharmaceutical tariffs. That puts the total at 26 drugmakers, covering what Trump said was about 90 percent of the branded market, per The Hill. “The other 10 percent are coming in,” he added. “They have no choice.”
While nine deals were signed on Monday, Trump’s seemingly sleepy state continues to get all the attention.
