When the man widely considered the most powerful person on the planet appears to repeatedly close his eyes during high-stakes meetings, the resulting controversy is often less about the actual state of his health and more about the deep, pre-existing fractures in the nation's political landscape. On Wednesday, 3 June 2026, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio found himself in an unenviable position.
Testifying before a congressional committee, he was confronted with visual evidence of the very behaviour he was trying to refute. As a video played on a large screen, the 79 year old president, who will turn 80 on 14 June, was seen with his eyes firmly shut. The man who had spent years mocking his predecessor as "Sleepy Joe" was now, in a moment of poetic irony, being accused of precisely the same frailty by his political opponents.
The Congressional Clash
The tense exchange occurred during a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing dedicated to the ongoing war in the Middle East. Democrat Representative Ted Lieu, a frequent critic of the president, pressed Rubio on a question that has increasingly dogged the administration: whether President Trump falls asleep during official meetings. The Daily Beast reported that Rubio initially denied the assertion, telling the committee, "I've never seen him fall asleep." His claim was that the president "doesn't sleep, which is a big problem, because he calls me at 2 in the morning, he calls me at 5 in the morning." However, his testimony was immediately undermined by video evidence. A clip from a 27 May Cabinet meeting showed Trump with his eyes closed for an extended period while Rubio himself was "talking up the president’s leadership" regarding the war in Iran. A visibly frustrated Lieu retorted, "You are literally talking about issues of war and peace, and Donald Trump is sleeping right next to you."
PBS News quoted the congressman further, stating that the president's "inability to stay awake on the job has caused other countries to perceive him differently. They mock him." The confrontation escalated quickly. After Lieu showed a third video of a foreign news report mocking Trump for "fighting sleep" at a Memorial Day ceremony, Rubio accused the congressman of making a "joke" of the hearing. In a sharp rebuttal, Lieu shot back, "Just keep lying, Secretary Rubio, just keep lying."
Visible Ailments and Medical Reports
The public concern over the president's fitness is not solely based on a few clips of him dozing off; it is fueled by a mosaic of visible physical ailments that have emerged over the past year. The USAToday reported that Trump will turn 80 on 14 June, making him the oldest president ever elected, and as such, his health is under a microscope. The scrutiny has intensified due to photographs showing significant bruising on his hands, which are sometimes layered with concealer, as well as reports of swollen ankles.
CNN noted that the White House has attributed the swelling in his legs to "chronic venous insufficiency, a common issue related to age." Trump himself has publicly attributed the bruising on his hands to his use of aspirin, claiming it "thins out" his blood. These physical markers, combined with a significantly lighter public schedule than at the start of his term, have led to persistent media speculation about his underlying health conditions.
The Genius Misunderstanding
Perhaps the most revealing aspect of the health debate unfolded off the Hill. Following his medical examination on 26 May, Trump took to Truth Social in the early hours of the morning to boast about his results. He claimed he scored "a perfect 30 out of 30, considered 'extreme intelligence'" on his cognitive test. However, as Dr. Jonathan Reiner, a cardiologist and professor of medicine at George Washington University, pointed out, the president appeared to fundamentally misunderstand the assessment he had taken.
"I’m glad the president did well on the MOCA exam, but it’s a dementia screening tool, not an IQ test, so a score of 26 or higher represents normal cognitive performance, not extreme intelligence," Reiner wrote. "None of the questions are high difficulty." While the White House released a medical report stating the president is in "excellent health," it also revealed he was advised to lose weight, as his BMI of 29.7 places him just under the threshold for clinical obesity.
Polls vs. Performance
Despite the administration’s defensive posture, the American public appears increasingly skeptical. A recent Washington Post/ABC News/Ipsos poll found that a majority of respondents doubt the president's capability to lead, with 59 percent believing he lacks the mental capacity for the job and 55 percent stating he lacks the physical health to serve. These numbers, coupled with a lighter public schedule and the emergence of viral video clips, suggest that the narrative surrounding Trump’s age and stamina is poised to be a central theme of the 2026 midterm elections.