Donald Trump, 79, Dozes Off During Memorial Day Ceremony for Fallen Service Members at Arlington National Cemetery: Watch

During the Memorial Day ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery on Monday, May 25, video footage captured President Donald Trump appearing to fall asleep.

The moment occurred while Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth delivered a keynote address honoring fallen American military personnel.

Trump, 79, attended the traditional wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier alongside Vice President J.D. Vance and Hegseth.

Viral video footage showed the POTUS with his eyes completely closed for extended intervals while Hegseth spoke. His head occasionally tilted forward, a posture consistent with dozing off.

The clip prompted heavy criticism and trolling from observers who labeled the behavior disrespectful, given the somber nature of the event.

“You’d think those painful bone spurs would keep him awake,” quipped one, in reference to the president’s dodging of military service due to the alleged foot condition.

“You can't keep a good man down, however, demented grifters need naps,” someone else said.

“Peak leadership: the draft-dodging president with the 'world-class bone spurs' can’t even fake staying awake for five minutes while we honor the actual heroes who showed up and sacrificed everything. Must be saving his energy for the next Mar-a-Lago fundraiser or 3 a.m. rage-post. Our fallen troops and their families deserve way better than this pathetic national embarrassment on Memorial Day. Wake up, America,” warned another.

Trump’s comments regarding the military and servicemen and women have repeatedly drawn heavy criticism and accusations of being offensive.

A major source of backlash stems from a 2020 Atlantic report detailing multiple private remarks Trump allegedly made. According to the report — portions of which were corroborated by former officials, including his former Chief of Staff John Kelly — Trump referred to fallen American World War I Marines buried in France as “suckers” and “losers."

He also reportedly disparaged the intelligence of wounded veterans and asked to keep them out of military parades. Trump vehemently denied making these statements, labeling the report a "hoax.”

In 2015, Trump faced severe bipartisan backlash for remarks he made regarding the late Sen. John McCain, a Navy veteran who survived years of torture as a prisoner of war in Vietnam. When asked about McCain, Trump stated, “He’s not a war hero” and added, “I like people who were not captured.”

While the White House did not issue an immediate statement regarding this specific ceremony, the administration has consistently defended past similar instances by asserting that the president was simply "blinking" or pausing in deep reflection.

This event comes amidst heightened scrutiny regarding Trump's age and health, as observers have noted a recurring pattern of the almost-80-year-old appearing to nod off during early daytime events, including high-profile Oval Office meetings and Cabinet updates.

Trump visited the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on Monday, May 26, for routine annual medical and dental evaluations.

This visit marks the fourth medical evaluation of his second term and his third scheduled trip to the facility in 13 months. It comes after the POTUS took off from his Florida golf course on a recent Saturday for an alleged impromptu dentist appointment.

The White House states that the visit was part of his regular preventive healthcare and will also include time spent meeting with service members and staff.

This trip follows an April 2025 annual physical and a subsequent October 2025 appointment, which the White House described as a "semiannual physical.”

During the October visit, he underwent a preventive CT scan of his heart and abdomen, which his physician reported as perfectly normal.

The frequency of his visits has drawn attention as Trump approaches his 80th birthday on June 14. In response to public speculation about physical signs like lower-leg swelling and bruised hands, the White House previously disclosed a diagnosis of chronic venous insufficiency and tissue irritation from aspirin use, maintaining that he remains in overall excellent health.