Donald Trump has appeared to doze off during an Oval Office meeting on diesel fuel exports, the latest in a string of incidents that have earned him the nickname “Dozy Don.”
The 80-year-old president was seated at the Resolute Desk on Tuesday, September 30, as Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy addressed the room about potential energy policy. Video footage from the meeting shows Trump with his eyes closed and head still while the governor speaks. The White House had convened the session so Trump could decide whether to impose a ban on diesel fuel exports, a move facing strong pushback from his own advisors. He told those gathered he had not yet made a decision.
Sharing the clip on X, one social media user wrote: “Alert the press, Trump is conked out in the Oval Office again.”
Another viewer posted: “This is a legit problem, and none of this cronies seem to care.”
A third speculated about motive rather than fatigue: “Again, I think he’s doing this on purpose to show disrespect to the speaker and mock them. As if to say ‘nobody cares what you have to say. I’m the only one who matters.'”
Others treated the moment as routine. One person joked: “Can somebody please grab Donnie’s Blanky please?? I mean it’s 1 pm, Nap Time.” Another noted the room’s apparent indifference: “The weirdest thing is that the rest of the folks just continue on, like they don’t even notice, as it’s a daily occurrence.”
The September 30 episode marks roughly the sixth reported instance of Trump nodding off during official duties since early 2024. The pattern began on April 15, 2024, the first day of his New York criminal trial, when several reporters inside the courtroom stated he fell asleep while jurors were being instructed. Trump branded those claims “fake news.”
Later that year, during an October campaign roundtable in Michigan, the then-presidential candidate was seen appearing to close his eyes and become very still. A more widely circulated incident came at Pope Francis’ funeral in April 2025, when footage appeared to show Trump asleep during the ceremony.
The Oval Office became the setting for sleep-related scrutiny starting in November 2025, when Trump was spotted with his eyes shut during a meeting with Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. About pharmaceutical company agreements. December brought two similar Cabinet meeting incidents in the same month.
Trump has never acknowledged actually falling asleep in any of these moments. He is sure to say he is simply resting his eyes, though the distinction has done little to stop the accumulation of clips and commentary.
The “Dozy Don” moniker has stuck through two and a half years of his presidency, fueled by a schedule that allies note is grueling for any octogenarian and critics say is inappropriate for the commander-in-chief. What remains consistent across each episode is the split reaction: concern about fitness for office, accusations of deliberate disrespect, or dark humor about a president who appears to treat high-stakes meetings as optional viewing.
Trump is scheduled to appear at a farming and policy event in Wisconsin.