Donald Trump became the subject of widespread online discussion Thursday after clips from an Oval Office press conference appeared to show him closing his eyes and leaning back in his chair while others were speaking.
The event, which included EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin and other administration officials, stretched for an extended period and generated immediate reactions across social media.
Several Democratic accounts and commentators seized on the footage.
“The Commander-in-Sleep clocks in,” posted the official Democratic Party account.
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Hunter Biden joked: “See…I told you it was a clone. They keep forgetting to charge its battery.”
Journalist Terry Moran wrote: “We’re all supposed to pretend this isn’t happening a lot? How does this make us look to the rest of the world?”
Others referenced previous White House responses to similar clips.
“How long until the @WhiteHouse says he was just ‘blinking’?” asked the liberal outlet Headquarters.
The White House rapid response account quickly pushed back, responding: “His eyes are literally open in the clip you posted, you dumbass mouth-breathers.”
That rebuttal prompted additional reactions, with critics sharing other video clips they argued showed Trump’s eyes closed for longer periods.
“About to hit REM during those extended blinks,” wrote commentator Brian Tyler Cohen.
The exchange also revived discussion about comments made a day earlier by Secretary of State and acting national security adviser Marco Rubio.
During a congressional hearing, Rubio had stated: “I have never seen Trump fall asleep.”
After the new clips circulated, social media users repeatedly referenced Rubio’s remark.
“How long until @marcorubio says he’s not sleeping now?” asked Grant Stern.
Another user posted: “Has anyone showed this to @marcorubio? cc @tedlieu.”
Representative Ted Lieu appeared to join the conversation, responding simply: “cc: @SecRubio.”
The footage quickly became one of the most discussed political clips of the day, with supporters and critics offering sharply different interpretations of what the videos actually showed.
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