Trump Denies Falling Asleep During White House Meetings: ‘They’ll Take a Picture of Me Blinking’

President Donald Trump listens during a Cabinet meeting at the White House, Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

President Donald Trump denied falling asleep during White House meetings in a new interview focused on his health.

The president spoke with The Wall Street Journal for a Thursday report centered around talk about his age and health. According to the report, Trump, 79, is “showing signs of aging in public and private, according to people close to him.” Trump, however, completely denied this and called his health “perfect,” chalking it up to “good genetics.”

The president said bruising that’s been seen on his hands, often covered in heavy makeup, is related to his daily dose of aspirin (which is higher than his doctors recommend).

He also addressed multiple instances in the last year where he was accused of falling asleep during cabinet meetings. According to Trump, people have simply caught him “blinking.”

“I’ll just close. It’s very relaxing to me,” he said. “Sometimes they’ll take a picture of me blinking, blinking, and they’ll catch me with the blink.”

According to the report, administration officials have urged officials to shorten their presentations for the president. Dr. Mehmet Oz, head of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, admitted be believed Trump became bored in a November meeting where cameras appeared to catch him dozing off.

Trump said he’s never been a big “sleeper” and officials say the president is often communicating with aides into the wee hours of the morning.

In the same interview on his health, Trump dismissed exercise as “boring,” admitting he doesn’t get a lot beyond his regular golfing outings. He also admitted he gave “some ammunition” to critics by choosing to get a “cardiovascular and abdominal scan” in October.

“In retrospect, it’s too bad I took it because it gave them a little ammunition,” he said about the scan. “I would have been a lot better off if they didn’t, because the fact that I took it said, ‘Oh gee, is something wrong?’ Well, nothing’s wrong.”

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