Donald Trump came out swinging this week, proving once again that nothing riles him up faster than someone suggesting he might be tired.
Instead of brushing off a New York Times analysis about his dwindling public schedule, Trump treated it like a personal attack and turned his response into a spectacle only he could create.
The piece, co-written by Katie Rogers, highlighted major changes in Trump’s day-to-day activity: fewer appearances, slower mornings, shorter afternoons, and a noticeable “signs of wear” shift that anyone watching him for the Past year could have spotted.
The analysis noted that he shaved 39 percent off his public schedule compared to the early stretch of his first term. Instead of starting around 10:30 a.m. like he used to, his events now often begin after noon, with his workdays ending around the same time despite containing far less actual work, according to The Daily Beast.
As soon as the story gained traction, Trump leapt onto Truth Social to comment.
“The Radical Left Lunatics in the soon to fold New York Times did a hit piece on me that I am perhaps losing my Energy,” he wrote in a now-deleted post, insisting the paper was “ALL PURPOSELY NEGATIVE.”
He then took square aim at Rogers, calling her “a third rate reporter who is ugly, both inside and out,” before assuring his followers that his poll numbers were “the highest… ever.”
He claimed he had “a PERFECT PHYSICAL EXAM AND A COMPREHENSIVE COGNITIVE TEST (‘That was aced’) JUST RECENTLY TAKEN,” declaring that there would be a day when his energy dips “but… it certainly is not now!”
The Times pushed right back. A spokesperson said their piece was “accurate and built on firsthand reporting of the facts,” adding that “name-calling and personal insults don’t change that, nor will our journalists hesitate to cover this administration in the face of intimidation tactics like this.”
Daily Mail readers commented immediately.
One commenter joked, “How dare anyone allege that the God-Emperor of Cankles and Bruises is doing anything but concentrating intensely when he closes his eyes at public ceremonies.”
Another wrote, “Grampy needs to calm down. We’re not blind, we see the failing specimen before us.”
A third piled on with, “Pop-pop Piggy sounds cranky. Maybe he should lie down.”
Someone else declared, “No doubt about it. Trump is unfit both physically and mentally,” while another quipped, “Whether you like him or hate him, the fact is that parts wear out.”
Those reactions landed because the “Trump is sleepy” montage practically updates itself at this point.
Earlier this month, he appeared to doze off during a news conference about the cost of medical treatments. Cameras also caught him fading during a White House ceremony where Melania spoke about foster care before he jolted back awake and started clapping as if that would erase the footage.
There was also the moment beside White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller when Trump’s eyelids drooped mid-compliment and he visibly sagged before snapping upright. A similar scene unfolded during a roundtable in October, when he slumped forward halfway through and momentarily disappeared into his own thoughts.
Then came the moment at a memorial service where Trump seemed out of it altogether, prompting speculation about whether he drifted off again.
Critics pointed to his sluggishness during a White House news conference where he appeared to nod off while Dr. Mehmet Oz walked through policy updates. Each instance was different, but the pattern was unmistakable: The man keeps getting caught losing the fight against gravity and drowsiness.
Still, Trump tried to turn former President Joe Biden into the national nap mascot.
In a sit-down with the Saudi crown prince, he claimed Biden “slept more than any president,” saying his predecessor dozed “during the day, during the night, on the beach,” and calling him “the only guy who could fall asleep on the beach with the press watching.”
But the internet was quick: Trump had been photographed drifting off in the Oval Office just days earlier, and those clips resurfaced instantly. Every attempt to shame Biden became a mirror he had to stare into.
Even as the questions piled up, the White House insisted his health “remains exceptional” and accused reporters of exaggerating.
But by the end of this saga, the storyline circled right back to the woman he tried to insult. A journalist said he looks worn out. Trump raged. Social media laughed. And the more he denied looking exhausted, the more the nation replayed the videos showing him asleep at work — proving that the reporter wasn’t off at all.
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