Madison Burgess
Donald Trump has hit back at the accusations that he often falls asleep at White House events, and explained what's really happening.
Now, there's no denying that there are quite a few pictures of the US president, 79, with his eyes closed at public-facing events, looking like he's having a little snooze.
It's become somewhat of a running joke on the internet and the Republican leader can't really get away from the swirling photos.
For example, back in September, people on social media accused the world leader of nodding off during a nail-biting match at the US Open.
Advert
To be specific, it was the tense men's singles final of the tennis tournament in New York, which saw Carlos Alcaraz triumph over Jannik Sinner.
One angry tennis fan wrote: "Trump is asleep while many fans are spending 2 hours in line trying to get into the US Open because of security with Trump there."
Trump has also been pictured 'sleeping' at Pope Francis' funeral in April, as well as during a cabinet meeting just last month.
During a lengthy meeting on December 2, the American President could be seen sometimes squinting his eyes and at least one time, he actually did fully close them.
People online were quick to bring up Trump's slamming of former Democratic leader Joe Biden, whom he regularly referred to as 'Sleepy Joe'.
One social media user penned: "He keeps falling asleep in the middle of meetings yet media is silent. If Joe Biden did this even once it would be front page EVERYWHERE."
A second added: "Sleepy Don strikes again. How unprofessional," and a third penned: "Who’s Sleepy Joe now, you [clown emoji]?"
However, as we say, Trump, who at 79 is now the oldest person to assume the US presidency, has now hit back at the allegations and denied falling asleep while attending public meetings.
He lamented that his 'health is perfect' and slammed the ongoing scrutiny of his well-being in a new interview with The Wall Street Journal.
Trump told the publication: "I’ll just close. It’s very relaxing to me. Sometimes they’ll take a picture of me blinking, blinking, and they’ll catch me with the blink."
He added that he's 'never been a big sleeper' and the WSJ reports that he has difficulty getting much shut eye at night and is often 'texting and calling aides at 2am or later'.
It's also apparently a 'particular issue aboard Air Force One, where Trump keeps his advisers awake, according to aides'.
The publication reports that staff members take it in turns to sit with the US President on long trips, so that others can get some shut eye while one person remains by his side.
In the same new interview, the world leader also addressed a large bruise that's been spotted on his hand multiple times, sparking health concerns.
He explained that it's caused by him taking aspirin, which made him more susceptible to bleeding.
"They say aspirin is good for thinning out the blood, and I don't want thick blood pouring through my heart," he explained in the New Year's Day interview.
Adding: "I want nice, thin blood pouring through my heart. Does that make sense?"