Donald Trump was once again seen “sleeping” during an event in the Oval Office on Thursday, with social media users raising concerns over his health. The US President, 79, was attending the event to announce a billion-dollar cash injection to the coal industry. However, he seemingly closed his eyes as officials around him spoke.
The video has been widely circulated on the social media with people once again commenting on Mr Trump’s health. One social media user commented: “Trump‘s mental decline is getting worse to the point where he’s not able to function as president. It might be time to invoke the 25th amendment.” Another wrote: “He appears to be talking in his sleep here. Does anyone have a transcript of what he said?”
A third user commented: “The 25th Amendment needs to be invoked. Trump is making horrible decisions that are damaging America.”
Calling it a ‘national crisis’, Congresswoman Yassamin Ansari wrote: “Donald Trump fell asleep multiple times in the Oval Office today. AGAIN. That’s why I’ve called for the 25th Amendment, and dozens of my colleagues have done the same. Donald Trump is unwell and must be removed from office. It’s a national security crisis.”
It comes as US Secretary of State Marco Rubio recently told a congressional committee that questions around Donald Trump’s mental acuity are “absurd and ridiculous”. Mr Rubio sought to defend his boss amidst growing public concerns about the US president’s mental and physical fitness.
Testifying during a congressional hearing, Mr Rubio was shown several video clips where Mr Trump, 79, is seen with his eyes apparently closed while Mr Rubio spoke beside him.
“I don’t even know how to respond to that, other than to tell you that it’s absurd and ridiculous,” Mr Rubio told the House Foreign Affairs Committee.
“You may not like his policies, you may not like the decisions he’s made. But I assure you, this is not a president that sleeps or is cognitively impaired in any way, shape, or form,” he said.
“And in fact, he is incredibly active, much more so in many cases than much younger people that are around him. Those are facts.”
Meanwhile, the US president, who will celebrate his 80th birthday on 14 June, announced last Tuesday that his six-month medical assessment at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center revealed “everything checked out PERFECTLY.”