Donald Trump: Video of former POTUS appearing to be falling asleep at RNC going viral

Joe Biden is facing harsh criticism about his age and health. Some of the fiercest comments are coming from his rival in the 2024 Presidential elections, Donald Trump—who recently escaped from a violent assassination attempt.

The former and possibly new US President frequently voices his concerns over Biden's age, using it as a weapon against him.

'Sleepy Joe'

There are a number of names Trump has liked to call Biden in the past couple of years. One of the most famous is 'Sleepy Joe'—a nickname he coined in 2020 during the last election battle that saw the two face each other.

According to NBC News, the moniker first came about as Trump claimed Biden was a 'sleepy guy in the basement of the house' and he had no idea about what was happening around him.

He's been using such attacks as a part of a broader strategy to highlight the questions surrounding Biden's age and health. However, Trump may need to watch his words carefully as he appeared to be dozing off during a speech at the 2024 Republican National Convention. Naturally, the video has been going viral.

Is Trump falling asleep at the party convention?

There is quite a bit of debate on this video of Donald Trump which has gotten millions of views. In it, Trump appears to be dozing off. There are moments in which his eyes are closed, and he seems to be struggling to keep them open.

While some clearly see his fight to stay awake, there are conflicting opinions about when this footage took place and hence whether he was really dosing off or not.

Indeed CBS News verification producer Jim La Porta believes that the footage was actually taken during a prayer. He said on X:

I’m seeing claims that former President Trump fell asleep at one point during the RNC. I matched up the time stamps. Trump’s eyes are closed because this occurred during Pastor James Roemke’s prayer.

On the other hand, Newsweek has refuted this and claims that the clip 'occurred four minutes later' which was during a speech by Harmeet Dhillon.

They added, however, that there was another misleading clip that was being circulated to perpetuate the narrative of a sleepy Trump. They said:

During Roemke's prayer, meanwhile, the vast majority of the audience had their eyes closed, including Trump and Vance. Some users misleadingly shared Roemke's prayer clip, falsely claiming that Trump was asleep at this time by cropping out other audience members whose eyes were also closed.

Whether Trump was asleep or not, this would not be the first time he's raised eyebrows by closing his eyes during important moments. In fact, during his hush money trial he earned the nickname 'sleepy Don'.

This article has been adapted from Gentside DE.

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Sources used:

Newsweek: Did Donald Trump Fall Asleep at RNC Convention? What We Know

NBC News: From 'Sleepy Joe' to 'Crooked Joe': Trump tries to redraw his portrait of Biden

X: Jim La Porta

The Independent: ‘Sleepy Don’: Trump sparks Twitter hilarity as he appears to fall asleep at trial