Ted Lieu

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio found himself at the centre of a tense congressional showdown after he dismissed claims that President Donald Trump fell asleep during official government meetings.

Testifying before the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Rubio faced intense scrutiny and accusations of “lying” from Democratic lawmakers.

The confrontation began when Democratic Congressman Ted Lieu of California challenged Marco Rubio over his defence of President Trump, using video footage as evidence.

During the hearing, Lieu played a clip from a recent Cabinet meeting in which Rubio was seated next to Trump. In the video, the president appeared to have his eyes closed and his head tilted downward while Rubio was speaking.

“You will see that he is sleeping while you are talking," Lieu stated before playing the clip. “You are literally talking about issues of war and peace and Donald Trump is sleeping right next to you."

Rubio immediately and forcefully rebuffed the allegation, calling the line of questioning “ridiculous."

“That’s false," Rubio retorted. "I’ve never seen him fall asleep. On the contrary, the guy doesn’t sleep. Which is a big problem because he calls me at 2 in the morning, he calls me at 5 in the morning and, you know, I like to sleep a little bit."

Lieu played another clip from a Memorial Day event showing the president seemingly drifting off, adding: “Donald Trump’s inability to stay awake on the job shows that there’s something very wrong with his health and cognitive abilities."

As Rubio continued to deny that the president was dozing off, labeling the clips “absurd,” Lieu fired back directly: “Just keep lying, just keep lying.”

Rubio defends Trump’s ‘inhumane hours’

Defending the president’s work ethic, Rubio insisted that the video clips were being misinterpreted and described the narrative as a partisan distraction. He argued that Trump operates at a pace that exhausts those around him, especially during intense international crises.

Rubio asserted that Trump works long hours “day and night” and routinely logs gruelling schedules. “He works inhumane hours, okay?” Rubio told the committee.

The Secretary of State recalled shared foreign trips, claiming that while the rest of the staff slept on flights, Trump remained fully awake. “He’s wandering in the hallways looking for someone to wake up and talk to,” Rubio said.

President Trump later dismissed the online speculation himself, claiming he was merely closing his eyes because the media briefings had become “pretty boring” or that cameras caught him mid-blink.

Growing scrutiny over Trump’s health

This congressional clash comes amid a much bigger public debate regarding Trump’s health, spurred by recent social media speculation about his appearance and public schedule.

While critics point to these clips as evidence of declining cognitive abilities, both the White House and Trump’s allies have pushed back heavily. The White House recently pointed to a medical summary from the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, which concluded that the president remains in “excellent health” and is “fully fit” to execute the duties of his office.