Trump slips into a “bona fide nap" once again during trial

Trump, who has made "Sleepy Joe's" age a central issue in his campaign, can't stay awake during criminal trial

By Griffin Eckstein

News Fellow

Published April 26, 2024 3:38PM (EDT)

Former U.S. President Donald Trump appears in court during his trial for allegedly covering up hush money payments at Manhattan Criminal Court on April 26, 2024 in New York City. (Mark Peterson-Pool/Getty Images)
Former U.S. President Donald Trump appears in court during his trial for allegedly covering up hush money payments at Manhattan Criminal Court on April 26, 2024 in New York City. (Mark Peterson-Pool/Getty Images)

Donald Trump once again struggled to stay awake during testimony in his first criminal trial.

As lawyers for “Drowsy Don” cross-examined former National Enquirer publisher David Pecker Friday morning, those present at the Manhattan courthouse documented Trump’s nap time. 

Just minutes into the day’s proceedings, former Deputy Assistant Attorney General Harry Litman described the former President as “heavy-lidded,” noting that he “seem[ed] to be dozing off for brief periods.” Trump’s drowsiness during the hush money trial has become a well-documented pattern as New York prosecutors make their case.

Per Litman, Trump slipped into a “bona fide nap,” and was “asleep for several minutes.” Perhaps it was his attorneys’ “pretty dull” arguments, which were reportedly “hardly rapt” to the jury, that exhausted the 77-year-old.

The aging Trump would be the second-oldest President in the office’s history if his bid for a second term is successful, behind his opponent. Trump has knocked 81-year-old President Biden for his age on the campaign trail, reprising the nickname “Sleepy Joe” in a February Truth Social post.

Speculations on whether Biden would agree to a debate given his age came to an end Friday. In an appearance on “The Howard Stern Show,” Biden kicked the ball into Trump’s corner, committing to a debate. “I’m happy to debate him,” Biden told Stern.


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