President Donald Trump appeared to have difficulty staying alert during the opening session of his Board of Peace initiative on Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026. Cameras repeatedly showed the 79-year-old leader sitting with his eyes closed as international officials delivered remarks in Washington, D.C.
After speaking for more than 45 minutes, Trump took his seat onstage at the Donald J. Trump U.S. Institute of Peace, where he spent several hours displaying signs of tiredness throughout the three-hour event. His eyelids visibly drooped during comments from former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, less than an hour after Trump concluded his own address.
At one point, Trump abruptly sat upright and opened his eyes when the room erupted in applause. He appeared slightly hunched with his eyes closed while the Bahraini delegation spoke, then snapped back to attention as Kuwait’s representative approached the microphone. Cameras also showed his eyelids lowering during Major General Jasper Jeffers III’s update on the Gaza stabilization force.
The episode added to a series of recent public moments in which the oldest president ever elected has seemed to nod off in front of the press. Trump’s eyes were completely shut several times during a whole‑milk bill signing last month. He also looked tired at a marijuana‑rescheduling executive order event, appeared worn down during a December Cabinet meeting, and was filmed sleeping during the signing of a Rwanda–Democratic Republic of the Congo peace deal.
The president has refuted suggestions that he falls asleep during official business. At his most recent Cabinet meeting last month, Trump denied dozing off at the December session, insisting he had merely closed his eyes because the discussion became “pretty boring.” He also claimed cameras had only caught him blinking, despite footage that told a different story.
In a separate conversation with New York magazine, Trump elaborated on his Cabinet meeting comments, describing the sessions as “boring as hell” and acknowledging that he “can’t wait to get out.”
White House staff secretary Will Scharf offered another explanation for Trump’s closed-eye moments. “It’s not dozing. Sometimes if he’s thinking about something — and I made that mistake at first too — he adopts a pose,” Scharf told reporters. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Trump is “actively listening” in those situations.
The fatigued appearance occurred even after Trump declared his Board of Peace to be the “most prestigious board ever put together” at the start of the meeting. When the lengthy session concluded, Trump remained seated while other international leaders gathered around him as he signed fundraising pledges. He passed documents to nearby attendees to display and handed out pens as if conducting a traditional White House bill signing.
Trump’s ongoing tendency to close his eyes during meetings, along with his frequent late‑night posting on Truth Social, has intensified scrutiny over the 79‑year‑old’s capacity to serve.
The president has attributed certain physical symptoms to known health issues, saying his hand bruising is due to taking heavy doses of aspirin for blood thinning and that his ankle swelling stems from chronic venous insufficiency. His doctor, Navy Capt. Sean Barbabella, continues to describe Trump as being in “excellent health.”
Trump began Thursday’s Cabinet meeting by talking for nearly 25 straight minutes, later noting that not everyone would be able to speak in order to save time. “We’re not going to go through the whole table,” he remarked.
Trump has repeatedly claimed he feels as energetic as he did four decades ago, even as video recordings increasingly show him struggling to remain focused during lengthy public appearances and meetings with world leaders and top administration officials.