'This Is Not Normal': Top Doctor Issues Stark Warning After Donald Trump's Latest Sleepy Episode

Dr. Jonathan Reiner, a prominent cardiologist and CNN medical analyst, recently characterized President Donald Trump’s repeated daytime nodding off as "not normal," citing a glaring omission of any evaluation for a sleep disorder in the president's recent physical examination.

Reiner raised these specific health concerns in response to a video clip shared by independent journalist Aaron Rupar, which showed Trump, 79, with his eyes closed during an Oval Office meeting while Interior Secretary Doug Burgum spoke.

Rupar posted the video, saying, “Trump is struggling to stay conscious in the Oval Office yet again,” to which the doctor replied, “A glaring omission from the president’s recent physical examination is any mention of his sleep disorder. This is not normal.”

The director of the cardiac catheterization laboratory at The George Washington University Hospital and professor of medicine at The George Washington University in Washington, D.C., Reiner previously noted that Trump struggles with a "severe" form of daytime sleepiness.

He emphasized that falling asleep while people are speaking directly to you in settings like the Oval Office or Cabinet Room is highly unusual for a public official.

Reiner publicly stated on X that the lack of any mention of a sleep disorder in the president’s recent medical exam report constitutes a major gap, reiterating that the behavior is abnormal.

Reiner warned that chronic lack of effective sleep or unmanaged sleep disorders in older adults significantly increases risks for hypertension, cardiac events, depression and dementia.

The sleeping episode is part of a series of visible health concerns that medical experts have flagged in recent months, alongside physical signs like hand bruising and ankle swelling.

While administration critics have repeatedly pointed to footage of the president dozing off during official functions, White House officials and political allies have vigorously pushed back.

For instance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio defended the president's stamina when confronted by California Democrat, Rep.Ted Lieu, stating that Trump frequently works late into the night and contacts staff at all hours, attributing any perceived fatigue to an intense work schedule rather than a medical decline.

During a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing on Wednesday, June 3, Lieu accused Rubio of lying to Congress after he claimed to have never seen the president fall asleep in a meeting.

Lieu countered Rubio's statement by playing video clips that appeared to show Trump dozing off in public and during official briefings.

Pointing to video footage from Cabinet meetings, Lieu directly challenged Rubio: "You are literally talking about issues of war and peace, and Donald Trump is sleeping right next to you." He followed up by telling Rubio, "Just keep lying, Secretary Rubio, just keep lying."

Reiner has been intrepid in calling out the almost 80-year-old’s health, most recently replying to a post on X by Washington Post reporter Dan Diamond, who wrote an article on Thursday, June 4, saying, “For years, Trump took a hair-loss drug — Propecia (finasteride). Now it’s no longer on his medical reports. I asked the White House if Trump still uses it, and officials said they’re not obligated to disclose all his medications.”

“An incomplete medical report is not a credible report. They can’t pick and choose which data they’re willing to report. What else is missing?” Reiner wondered.