President Donald Trump, 80, appeared to fight to keep his eyes open during his own Oval Office event on Monday, Sept. 28, 2026, slumping behind the Resolute Desk as his cabinet secretaries rolled out a $15 billion steel plant planned for eastern Iowa.
The project, from Mesabi Metallics, will be one of the largest steel plants in the country. But as Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick heaped praise on the president from inches away, Trump seemed barely able to hold his eyes open. When Energy Secretary Chris Wright turned to the administration’s industrialization agenda and its new partnership with Mesabi Metallics, Trump’s eyes shut and his head drooped forward. Rewant Ruia, the chairman of Mesabi Metallics, spoke about the project while the president angled his face toward the executive, his eyelids fluttering open and closed.
Clips of the scene raced across social media. “Trump is struggling to stay awake on camera,” wrote Aaron Rupar, who posted video of the event on X.
Canada Tangents and ‘Lake America’
“Our steel industry is roaring back to life,” Trump said, before wandering into a string of tangents. He disparaged Canada in blunt terms, ranking it among the world’s worst nations, and touted his renaming of Lake Ontario to “Lake America” as his fight with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney over trade and tariffs grinds on. When he took questions from reporters, his answers were quiet and clipped, and his speech was slurred.
Iowa Stakes Behind the Event
The announcement appeared designed to lift two Trump-endorsed Iowa Republicans who attended alongside other state officials: Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks, R-Iowa, and Rep. Ashley Hinson, R-Iowa. Hinson is one of several Trump-backed candidates who have put distance between themselves and the president as his approval rating has sunk to record lows. A Marist poll showed her trailing Democratic Senate candidate Josh Turek by 8 points.
Asked why Republicans were struggling in the state, Trump said he did not know, pointed to unspecified Democratic actions he said had hurt the country and dismissed the polling as fake.
A Well-Documented Habit of Nodding Off
Trump, the oldest person ever inaugurated as president, has been captured napping at least 23 times at events since retaking the Oval Office. The irony was not lost on his critics: moments before he appeared to drift off on Sept. 28, he had resurrected his old nickname for his predecessor, “Sleepy Joe Biden.”
The pattern stretches back through his second term. He was accused of dozing at Pope Francis’ funeral on April 26, 2025, an appearance that also drew criticism because he wore a blue suit against the Vatican dress code. He appeared to fall asleep at a press conference in Saudi Arabia on May 13, 2025, earning the label “Sleepy Don,” and again at the Pennsylvania Energy and Innovation Summit on July 15, 2025. On Dec. 2, 2025, he was seen leaning to one side with his eyes closed at a cabinet meeting as Secretary of State Marco Rubio discussed Ukraine. He seemed to nod off at the signing of the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act on Jan. 14, 2026, with Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins behind him, and drew significant backlash after appearing to fall asleep at a Memorial Day ceremony on May 25, 2026. He has also appeared to nod off at Sen. Lindsey Graham’s funeral and at the 9/11 memorial at the Pentagon.
The president has brushed off the speculation, telling a cabinet meeting that the previous session had gotten boring and insisting he had not slept, but had shut his eyes because he wanted to leave.
New Alarm Over Trump’s Left Leg
Scrutiny of his physical condition intensified on Tuesday, Sept. 29, when he spoke with reporters after a luncheon with technology executives at the White House. A video posted by his aide Margo Martin captured an odd stance, with his left leg looking limp and the knee bending inward. His right hand was slathered in makeup. Commenters online demanded an explanation, and one suggested the president might be wearing a leg brace.
His walk has attracted attention before. In August 2025, he appeared to drag his right leg and move sluggishly while golfing with former Major League Baseball pitcher Roger Clemens and Clemens’ son Kacy at Trump National Golf Club in Virginia. Ben Meiselas of MeidasTouch, reviewing that footage, described the president as dragging the leg and unable to hold a straight line.
Trump had two MRI scans in the space of a year in 2025 and was diagnosed with chronic venous insufficiency. He is frequently seen with dark bruises on his hands, swollen ankles and mental slip-ups, and he has slurred his words in public. He and the White House maintain that everything is fine. More than 30 doctors signed a letter earlier in 2026 warning of a steep and dangerous decline, saying he is not mentally fit for office and calling for his removal with the greatest urgency. The signatories pointed out that the U.S. keeps more than 5,000 nuclear warheads ready to launch on the president’s order.