White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt has addressed multiple controversies surrounding President Donald Trump this week, including visible bruising on his hand and allegations he appeared to fall asleep during Sen. Lindsey Graham’s July 28 funeral at Washington National Cathedral. The 80-year-old president’s public appearances have sparked renewed scrutiny as his administration confronts mounting challenges, including a war with Iran that has killed 18 U.S. service members.
Leavitt attributed the bruising to “tissue damage from frequent handshaking” combined with aspirin use, which can make such marks more visible. Fox News cameras zoomed in on the president’s injured right hand during the funeral ceremony, prompting online discussion about whether the network intentionally highlighted the injury.
The administration also faced reports of a profanity-laced outburst in the Oval Office last week, with Trump allegedly “exploding” and “yelling expletives” at senior national security officials over stalled progress in the Iran conflict he initiated in February. Hundreds of additional U.S. troops have been wounded in the ongoing military engagement.
“This is false. The president has a great team whom he trusts, and everyone on the team knows he’s the final decision-maker,” Leavitt stated, denying the reported tantrum.
Funeral Footage Triggers Sharp Rebuttal
During Graham’s memorial service, footage showed the president with closing eyelids following his eulogy for the South Carolina Republican, whom he called “a force to be reckoned with.” White House spokesman Davis Ingle rejected suggestions Trump had dozed off, declaring he “was reflecting on the loss of his dear friend” and calling anyone who thought otherwise “a depraved moron.”
The @HQNewsNow account posted that Trump looked “completely passed out asleep” at the cathedral. User Aaron Rupar shared footage describing the president’s face as “drooping heavily” while he struggled to remain alert. An Associated Press photo captured Trump seated with JD Vance, Scott Bessent and Eric Trump—the Vice President, Treasury Secretary and president’s son, respectively—throughout the Tuesday memorial.
Repeated Episodes Draw Administration Denials
The cathedral incident follows similar episodes throughout recent months. In June, Trump seemed to slump in his chair as Energy Secretary Chris Wright discussed the “Trump Promenade,” a proposed walkway extending from the Lincoln Memorial to the Potomac River. When Kamala Harris’ news account circulated a clip, the White House Rapid Response team countered on X that his eyes stayed “literally open in the clip you posted.” A June 5 report observed that officials such as Secretary of State Marco Rubio have insisted they never witness him sleeping, despite the president’s increasingly visible aging.
Last month, Trump appeared to drift during an Oval Office gathering promoting the removal of church-state separation. In May, he seemed to nod off at a maternal health event, which the administration dismissed by claiming he was only “blinking.” In February, he appeared to fall asleep at the inaugural Board of Peace meeting in Washington.
Correspondents’ Dinner Adds to Concerns
On Friday, days before Graham’s funeral, Trump attended a White House Correspondents’ Association dinner at the Waldorf Astoria ballroom, where he was observed closing his eyes repeatedly during speeches. The venue, previously Trump International Hotel, replaced the Washington Hilton as host location.
The July gathering drew 700 attendees, far fewer than the roughly 2,600 guests planned for the April 25 event, which was canceled after 31-year-old Cole Tomas Allen breached security and opened fire near the ballroom entrance. Trump and First Lady Melania Trump sheltered during the shooting. She declined to attend the rescheduled dinner, as did Vance, who recently had his fourth child, and Rubio, who had been in Southeast Asia.
Trump told attendees that David Ellison, whose Paramount Skydance controls CBS, said next year’s dinner would bear his name. He attacked CNN’s Kaitlan Collins, describing her as “a young attractive woman” who “never smiles” and comparing her looks to transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney. He also joked about Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s beef tenderloin and quipped he wouldn’t wrestle Communications Director Steven Cheung. Despite video mocking his stance on press freedom and a segment about a lewd letter he allegedly wrote to child sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein, Trump declared “the show must go on.”
Ingle’s “depraved moron” response signals the administration’s continued combative approach toward critics questioning the president’s stamina during public events.