Donald Trump's Pals Confirm He's Been Sleeping in Court But Ex-Prez Also Closes His Eyes to 'Stay Calm'
May 2 2024, Published 1:37 p.m. ET
After Donald Trump was seen falling asleep in court multiple times since the hush money trial started on April 15, New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman confirmed he does indeed doze off.
"Sometimes he is sleeping. That is a 100 percent true. I’ve seen it. People around him have confirmed to me that he has been sleeping at times that we have said he is," Haberman said on the Wednesday, May 1, episode of CNN’s The Source with Kaitlan Collins.
"However, sometimes he is closing his eyes, and I’ve talked to people around him about this too, because that is how he tries to just basically stay calm and deal with it. And whether that then leads to sleep or whatever, who knows? But he is sitting there with his eyes closed for long periods of time. It’s not always sleeping," she continued. "I think it is a compartmentalization method. And he’s pretty good at compartmentalizing."
As OK! previously reported, Haberman revealed Trump, 77, had dozed off in court during the first week of the trial.
"You wrote an observation that I was very surprised about: Trump appears to be sleeping — his head was dropping down and his mouth goes slack. Tell us about that," Jake Tapper asked Haberman during his CNN show on April 15.
"Well, Jake, he appeared to be asleep, and his head would fall down. There were other moments in other trials like the E. Jean Carroll trial in January, which was around the corner, where he appeared very still and appeared as if he might be sleeping but then he would move. This time, he didn't pay attention to a note his lawyer passed him. His jaw kept falling on his chest and his mouth kept going slack. Now, sometimes people do fall asleep during court proceedings, but it's notable given the intensity of this morning," the journalist replied.
Of course, people thought the revelation was hysterical, and many late-night hosts mocked Trump, including Jimmy Kimmel.
“Unfortunately, the trial isn’t televised, but there are reporters in the courtroom, including Maggie Haberman of the NY Times, who let us in on this little gem,” he shared on his show. “If Biden is ‘Sleepy Joe,’ I guess that makes you ‘Dozo the Clown,’ huh."
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After the news went viral, people spoke about their concerns about his age — especially as the 2024 election looms. "Look, he’s old. The judge is keeping Sleepy Don from his nap time," Trump critic Ron Filipkowski joked on X, formerly known as Twitter.
"Sometimes when older people get really sleepy in the middle of the day it can be a sign of a potential heart attack in the near future. Just saying," another person claimed, while another user said, "In his defense, when you're posting an avalanche of lies into the wee hours of the night, mandated court appearances the following morning is nothing short of judicial malpractice."