At a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing in Washington on Wednesday, Rep. Ted Lieu confronted Secretary of State Marco Rubio over videos that Lieu said showed President Donald Trump sleeping during official events.
The exchange unfolded while Rubio testified on the FY2027 State Department budget request, and it quickly shifted from spending to questions about Trump's health and public conduct.
Highlights
- Ted Lieu played three clips at a House hearing after Marco Rubio denied seeing Trump fall asleep.
- One clip came from a December 2025 Cabinet meeting where Rubio himself was speaking.
- Another video showed Trump’s eyes appearing closed during the Memorial Day ceremony at Arlington.
- Trump previously said he did not sleep during the Cabinet meeting and had only closed his eyes.
- The clips used in the hearing were verified, unlike some altered Trump sleeping videos that circulated online.
Lieu used verified clips to challenge Rubio's denial
After Rubio denied ever seeing Trump fall asleep in meetings, Lieu played three clips and accused the secretary of lying to Congress while still sitting before the committee.
Lieu began by telling Rubio that he would show footage from a December 2, 2025, Cabinet meeting. Lieu asked Rubio to focus on Trump in the video, saying the president would be seen sleeping while Rubio himself spoke.
Rubio denied it flatly. He insisted he had never seen Trump fall asleep — and went further, arguing that Trump is actually the opposite of sleepy. "He calls me at 2 in the morning, and he calls me at 5 in the morning," Rubio said.
He added that Trump was in the Oval Office at 12:30 a.m. and that he works inhumane hours. I don't know what you're talking about, Rubio told Lieu.
Image credits: Alexis Haulot / European Union / Wikimedia Commons
Lieu wasn't buying it. He played the footage and pressed harder: "You're lying to Congress, Secretary Rubio," he told the secretary during the hearing.
The December Cabinet session had already drawn attention because Trump appeared to struggle to keep his eyes open during long stretches as Cabinet officials gave updates. Rubio was among the officials speaking during the meeting, which gave Lieu's questioning its sharpest moment.
Lieu did not stop with one clip. He also played video from the May 25 Memorial Day ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery, during which Trump's eyes appeared closed as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth delivered remarks. A French news broadcast covered the clip after it spread online within hours, drawing millions of views across X and Instagram.
PBS NewsHour captured Lieu framing the issue in foreign policy terms, not just health terms. The president's inability to stay awake on the job has caused other countries to perceive him differently, Lieu said. They mock him.
Health questions intensified after Arlington footage and a Walter Reed visit drew scrutiny
The hearing came after several recent moments that fueled public questions about Trump's health and schedule. Trump spent roughly three hours at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on May 26, his third visit to the military hospital in 13 months.
Trump last had a scheduled public appearance on May 27, when he held a televised Cabinet meeting at the White House. David Pakman, host of the David Pakman Show, noted that Trump had been absent from public view for nearly a week, citing his hospital visit and the delayed release of his medical report.
Image credits: Getty Images
Medical commentary also entered the debate. CNN medical analyst Dr. Jonathan Reiner said Trump showed signs of severe daytime somnolence and called for more transparency about his condition.
Trump has rejected the idea that he slept during the December Cabinet meeting. He previously said, "I didn't sleep. I just closed them because I wanted to get the hell out of there."