In what was supposed to be a triumphant moment—announcing the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro following a sweeping military operation—Donald Trump’s press conference on Thursday instead became fodder for online speculation about the president’s health and mental acuity. CNN abruptly cut into regular programming to cover the live briefing, where Trump appeared before cameras to claim credit for what his administration called a “large-scale strike” on Caracas.
But as Trump stood on the podium, social media erupted with concerns that had nothing to do with geopolitical strategy. Viewers watching from home couldn’t help but notice the president appeared to be struggling to stay awake.
Trump confirms his team will work with Venezuela’s vice president to make “Venezuela great again”
He added Colombia’s Gustavo Francisco Petro needs to “watch his a***”
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Within minutes, posts flooded X with observations ranging from concerned to cutting. “Slurring and rumbling: diplomacy or late-night talk show?” one user wrote, while another pointed out, “He can’t keep his place in his written speech, is repeating himself and looks like he’s going to fall over.”
One commenter noted the president was “slurring & sniffing, must be past his ‘sleepy time,'” while another user expressed exasperation: “He sounds like he’s close to the light. Can’t even understand what he’s saying. If I hear ‘like you’ve never seen before’ one more time…”
The refrain echoed across social media—less celebration of a foreign policy win, more alarm about whether the sitting president could remain vertical.
What made the moment even more surreal was what unfolded next. General Dan Caine, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, stepped to the podium to detail how military forces executed the operation.
But Donald Trump, standing mere feet away, appeared to be drifting off as Caine spoke. “He’s literally falling asleep standing there behind the general. Keeps getting woke up by someone screaming in his earpiece,” one observer wrote.
Another added, “Let’s see if he falls asleep… OMG.. there he goes while the general speaks.” The awkwardness wasn’t subtle or easy to ignore.
“Trump is about to go to sleep again. This time standing. Something is very wrong,” someone commented, summing up what many watching felt but were hesitant to say aloud.
The military operation itself had kicked off hours earlier in the predawn darkness. At roughly 2 a.m. ET, at least seven explosions rocked Caracas as U.S. forces unleashed what the Trump administration characterized as a “large-scale air strike.”
On Saturday, President Trump held a press conference about the overnight strike on Venezuela and the seizure of its leader, Nicolás Maduro. Trump said the U.S. will run Venezuela until a “proper transition” can take place.
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By around 4:30 a.m., Trump took to Truth Social to claim victory: “The United States of America has successfully carried out a large-scale strike against Venezuela and its leader, President Nicolas Maduro, who has been, along with his wife, captured and flown out of the Country.”
What should have been an unambiguous foreign policy triumph—if true—instead became overshadowed by legitimate questions about Trump’s condition during the announcement.
Not everyone bought Trump’s narrative about what actually happened. Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodríguez disputed the U.S. claims, stating the administration was unaware of Maduro or Flores’ whereabouts and pointedly requesting “proof of life.”
Meanwhile, Democrats seized on the military action itself as a constitutional violation. Former Congressman Justin Amash declared Trump’s conduct “unconstitutional and impeachable,” while New Mexico Representative Melanie Stansbury demanded Congress “reign him in immediately.”
The broader context matters here too. Trump had spent months escalating pressure on the Venezuelan regime through sanctions, military deployments, maritime strikes, and a $50 million bounty for Maduro’s capture on narcotics charges.
But none of that context could compete with the image of a president appearing to doze off during his own victory lap. The optics were terrible, and the timing couldn’t have been worse for the administration.
