Liberals Pounce as Trump Appears to Nod Off in Oval Office, Right After Mocking ‘Sleepy Joe’ Biden

(Screengrab via YouTube)

President Donald Trump’s critics seized on an awkwardly timed Oval Office moment Monday to mock him as having nodded off after he closed his eyes on camera, shortly after he’d railed against “Sleepy” Joe Biden.

Trump was announcing plans for a $15 billion Mesabi Metallics steel plant in Iowa, which is expected to create 1,750 permanent jobs and begin steel production around 2030, when he took a sideways swipe at his predecessor and quipped that such a project would never have happened “under sleepy Joe Biden.”

But as other officials and executives took over the presentation, cameras showed Trump sitting behind the Resolute Desk with his head dipping forward. The footage does not establish that Trump was asleep, though some outlets reported that he appeared to struggle to stay awake.

The timing and appearance, however, was irresistible to his online critics, including Biden’s own son:

California Governor Gavin Newsom’s (D) press office also weighed in:

Rep. Ted Lieu (D-CA) quipped that Trump was “sleeping on the job.”

Others piled on:

Molly Jong-Fast offered somewhat of a defense of the 80-year-old president with a dig at Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick:

MeidasTouch, meanwhile, got creative and stitched the before and after together in the classic SpongeBob SquarePants internet meme format:

The White House has previously rejected claims that Trump was sleeping during public events.

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