US president Donald Trump appeared to fall asleep during a meeting of his cabinet at the White House on Tuesday.
Mr Trump, 79, struggled to keep his eyes open on more than one occasion during the meeting, which was over two hours long.
He recently lashed out at New York Times journalists over a story which looked at how Mr Trump’s age could be affecting his stamina during his second term in office.
In a statement, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the president was “listening attentively and running the entire” meeting.
She cited Mr Trump’s inflammatory comments about Somali immigrants.
“This epic moment put an exclamation point on President Trump’s ninth cabinet meeting of his second term — all of which have been entirely open to the press for the whole world to see,” Ms. Leavitt said.
On Monday, Mr Trump appeared to have a late night as he posted consistenly on his Truth Social platform.
US president Donald Trump appears to nod off during a cabinet meeting. Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
He has claimed his age is getting unfair coverage compared to his predecessor Joe Biden, 83.
“I’ll let you know when there’s something wrong. There will be someday,” Mr. Trump said. “That’s going to happen to all of us. But right now I think I’m sharper than I was 25 years ago. But who the hell knows?”
Mr Trump struggled to keep his eyes open during portions of the meeting where he was hearing from his agriculture secretary, Brooke L Rollins, education secretary Linda McMahon and secretary of state Marco Rubio.
Ms Leavitt said on Monday that a recent MRI conducted on Mr Trump was preventative in nature and revealed that he was in good cardiovascular health.
Donald Trump during the cabinet meeting. Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
Speaking to reporters at a press briefing at the White House, Ms Leavitt said men of Mr Trump’s age benefited from such screenings.
“President Trump’s cardiovascular imaging was perfectly normal, no evidence of arterial narrowing, impairing blood flow or abnormalities in the heart or major vessels,” Ms Leavitt said of the 79-year-old president.
“The heart chambers are normal in size. The vessel walls appear smooth and healthy, and there are no signs of inflammation or clotting. Overall, his cardiovascular system shows excellent health. His abdominal imaging is also perfectly normal,” Ms Leavitt said.
Mr Trump underwent a magnetic resonance imaging scan during a recent medical evaluation, but did not disclose the purpose of the procedure, which is not typical for standard check-ups.