President Donald Trump appeared to briefly close his eyes during the inaugural Board of Peace meeting in Washington, D.C., drawing immediate attention online. The event, held at the U.S. Institute of Peace, brought together international delegates to discuss global conflict zones. Within minutes, clips of the moment were circulating across social media.
The 79-year-old president was seated at the front of the room Thursday as Major General Jasper Jeffers III delivered remarks. Video footage shows Trump’s head tilting forward and his eyelids lowering for several seconds. At one point, his chin dipped toward his chest before he straightened again.
The Board of Peace, announced earlier this year, is designed to coordinate diplomatic initiatives related to Gaza and other international flashpoints. Trump has described the panel as a major step toward reshaping U.S. peace efforts abroad. Thursday’s meeting marked its formal launch and included representatives from several countries, per The Daily Express.
more than two hours into this “Board of Peace” meeting, we are now enduring random world leader open mic time and Trump’s eyes are closed pic.twitter.com/wX2MJg1z65
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) February 19, 2026
But online, much of the attention focused on the president’s posture rather than the policy discussion.
On X, formerly known as Twitter, users began sharing clips with commentary almost immediately. One post read: “More than two hours into this ‘Board of Peace’ meeting and Trump’s eyes are closed.” Another user wrote bluntly: “That man is fully asleep.” A third added: “Such an embarrassment. Make it stop.” Yet another quipped: “He is bored of peace.”
The phrase quickly trended, with “Board of Peace” and “asleep” appearing side by side in thousands of posts.
This is not the first time Trump has appeared drowsy during public events. In recent months, cameras have captured him with his eyes closed during a Cabinet meeting and at an executive order signing ceremony. During one Environmental Protection Agency announcement, he listened as Administrator Lee Zeldin delivered extended remarks. When Trump later approached the microphone, he opened with four words: “That was long.”
The White House has not commented directly on Thursday’s moment.
Public speculation about presidential stamina is not new in American politics. Former President Ronald Reagan faced questions about his age in the 1980s. President Joe Biden encountered similar scrutiny during his term. In Trump’s case, viral video has amplified even brief pauses or shifts in posture into online flashpoints.
Voter ID should be required? Trump, if you lived in reality you would know that we already need to show our ID’s when we vote. I forget, youre always sleeping, so why would you know? pic.twitter.com/8D42511svo
— Mr Magic man! (@Whydoyouwa29901) February 19, 2026
At the Board of Peace launch, the room itself remained orderly. Delegates continued their prepared statements. Cameras stayed fixed. Trump eventually lifted his head and looked toward the speaker again. The meeting proceeded without interruption.
Still, in the age of livestreams and instant sharing, a few seconds can take on a life of their own.
By Thursday afternoon, edited clips were circulating across platforms, some slowed down, others zoomed in. Memes followed. The tone ranged from playful to pointed. Late-night style jokes appeared within hours.
The president has often brushed off such moments in the past, framing long meetings as routine and dismissing online chatter as partisan noise. Thursday’s footage added another entry to a growing archive of on-camera pauses that attract attention far beyond the room where they occur.
For now, the Board of Peace moves forward with its stated diplomatic agenda. But online, the image that lingered was not a policy slide or a handshake. It was a brief, quiet moment — head lowered, eyes closed — replayed again and again on social feeds around the world.
