White House defends Trump, after observers claim he fell asleep an Oval Office event

President Donald Trump appeared to fall asleep during an Oval Office event on maternal health Monday, prompting the White House to deny the incident.

When Reuters national security correspondent Idrees Ali posted an image showing Trump with his eyes closed, the White House rapid response X account dismissively claimed, "He was blinking, you absolute moron."

Social media users quickly challenged the denial, sharing video clips showing Trump's eyes closed for approximately 19 seconds —far longer than a typical blink.

Democratic activists and commentators mocked the explanation, with attorney Aaron Parnas sarcastically writing on Instagram's Threads, "The White House says this is Donald Trump 'blinking.'"

Democratic operative Majid Padellan noted, Trump frequently falls asleep during Oval Office meetings.

"Drooping mouth, closed eyes, and a topic he doesn’t actually care about. TRUMP IS SLEEPING FOR SURE," posted liberal commentator Brian Krassenstein on X.

The incident represents another in a pattern of similar occurrences.

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