President Donald Trump speaks during a meeting of the Cabinet in the Cabinet Room of the White House on Jan. 29, 2026, in Washington, D.C. (Win McNamee / Getty Images)
By Samuel Short January 30, 2026 at 8:48am
President Donald Trump decided to address the criticism that he appears to doze off during his Cabinet meetings.
He did so in the most predictably Trumpian manner possible, with the humor many of us have come to expect when the president deals with the media.
Footage of Thursday’s Cabinet meeting was posted to social media platform X, with Trump telling the room, “We are going to ask a couple of people to say a few words, and we’re not going to go through the whole table because the last time we had a press conference, it lasted for three hours.”
“And some people said, ‘He closed his eyes.’ Look, It got pretty boring,” he said amid laughter.
“I love these people. I love these people, but there’s a lot of people.”
Watch: Trump’s Hilariously Honest Response to Reports He Fell Asleep During the Last Cabinet Meetingpic.twitter.com/Irmgq3lgTF
— The Western Journal (@WesternJournalX) January 30, 2026
In previous news conferences, there have been moments where members of the media have hit Trump, claiming he fell asleep.
After his predecessor’s term and the damage control they ran for former President Joe Biden, to chastise Trump would be completely hypocritical.
With Biden, the fear was not just his lack of energy — for which Trump appropriately branded him “Sleepy Joe” — but his lack of cognitive ability.
To drive home the point, it’s something the media bent over backwards to brush aside.
Every chance they got, they would defend Biden, even claiming he was at his best in a long career of public service.
Never forget when MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” host Joe Scarborough, in the lead up to the 2024 election, told his panel, “He’s far beyond cogent. In fact, I think he’s better than he’s ever been.”
SCARBOROUGH SHAMELESSLY CARRIES WATER FOR BIDEN: “He’s better than he has ever been — intellectually, analytically…”
“F you if you can’t handle the truth!
“This version of Biden is the best Biden ever!” pic.twitter.com/YArL6ExDoH
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) March 7, 2024
This is the same Biden who, during an incoherent word salad in his single debate with Trump before dropping out, confusingly told the room at CNN’s headquarters, “We finally beat Medicare.”
Trump quipped in response, “He’s right, he did beat Medicare. He beat it to death.”
Biden closes this incoherent, disjointed rambling with the statement, “We finally beat Medicare.” 😬
President Trump responds, “Well, he’s right. He did beat Medicaid. He beat it to death, and he’s destroying Medicare.” 💥#DebateNight 👇 pic.twitter.com/oMlXRpU4io
— MAGA Marie 🦅🇺🇸 (@galacticaactual) June 29, 2024
Greater concern over Trump’s abilities would be shown if he were slipping beyond closing his eyes or falling asleep.
Slurring his speech, wandering aimlessly on stage, confusing Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy with Russian President Vladimir Putin — these missteps taken holistically would raise alarms if Trump committed them as well.
As for Thursday, Trump did well in using humor to deflect any implications, and should fend them off so long as he continues to display the fortitude many have come to expect from him.
Sam Short is an Instructor of History with Motlow State Community College in Smyrna, Tennessee. He holds a BA in History from Middle Tennessee State University and an MA in History from University College London. The views expressed in his articles are his own and do not reflect the views or opinions of Motlow State Community College.
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