Democrat labels Trump ‘sleeping’ in public a national security risk

Democrat labels Trump ‘sleeping’ in public a national security risk White House has brushed off concerns about Trump’s pattern of closing his eyes for an extended period of time, claiming he is blinking - Bookmark - CommentsGo to comments A Democratic lawmaker raised concerns Wednesday that President Donald Trump’s habit of closing his eyes for an extended period of time during Cabinet meetings, Oval Office press conferences and other events is a sign he is not well enough to handle national security matters. Taking to the House floor, Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove of California urged her Republican colleagues to pressure the White House to be more transparent about the 79-year-old president’s health for the sake of national security. “We cannot have a president asleep on the job. Is he sleeping in classified briefings, on calls with foreign leaders? How can we trust a president who is literally asleep at the wheel to make informed decisions about national security?” Kamlager-Dove said. The California Democrat was referring to Trump’s pattern of closing his eyes for several seconds during public events and meetings, giving the appearance of falling asleep. The White House has repeatedly denied that the president is sleeping, excusing it for blinking or the president closing his eyes but listening intently. However, other Democrats have questioned the president’s health based on the consistent eyes-closed moments. Democrat and California Rep. Ted Lieu similarly expressed worry about the president’s health after he was caught allegedly sleeping during Game 3 of the NBA Finals earlier this week. “The president of the United States is not well,” Lieu said Tuesday. “He has tremendous difficulty staying awake on the job.” “Donald Trump has repeatedly fallen asleep at multiple Cabinet meetings, at multiple White House events, at a Memorial Day ceremony and most recently, at a very loud New York Knicks, San Antonio Spurs game last night,” Lieu added. White House Spokesperson Davis Ingle said in a statement, “President Trump’s sharpness, unmatched energy, and historic accessibility stand in stark contrast to what we saw during the last administration when Democrats and the legacy media intentionally covered up Joe Biden’s serious mental and physical decline from the American people.” “President Trump is the sharpest and most accessible President in American history who is working nonstop to solve problems and deliver on his promises, and he remains in excellent health,” Ingle said. Trump became the oldest president ever inaugurated when he retook the White House last year, but he has long maintained he is in near-perfect health, often bragging about his “perfect” cognitive test results. The president has insisted he has “extreme intelligence” and brushed off any concerns about his mental acuity. The White House has backed the president’s claims and annually releases his physical medical results, which often assert Trump is in great health. But the White House has not released a list of medications the president takes and occasionally refuses to explain some of Trump’s medical procedures – such as an MRI. Administration officials often describe Trump’s cognition as superior to that of the average person, bragging that the president rarely sleeps. Recently, Secretary of State Marco Rubio claimed he has “never seen [Trump] fall asleep” and “on the contrary, the guy doesn’t sleep.” But Trump’s sporadic late-night posts on Truth Social, rambling speeches and apparent slow-blink during events have concerned his Democratic opponents, who question whether he is fit to serve. Join our commenting forum Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies Comments