【By Guan察者网, Ruan Jiaqi】

For four years, Biden has been mocked by the Republican camp as "Sleepy Joe," and the pro-Democratic U.S. media finally had their chance: On Tuesday, during the last cabinet meeting of the year for the U.S. government, Trump was repeatedly caught looking drowsy and unable to focus during a meeting that lasted more than two hours.

According to CNN, on the day of the meeting, Trump mentioned "Sleepy Joe" at the beginning and boasted, "I'm sharper than I was 25 years ago."

Regarding an article from The New York Times last week that claimed he showed signs of aging, Trump countered, "Trump's mind is sharp, they (The New York Times) are not."

He also accused the journalists who spread "fake news" of being unfair when reporting on his health and energy levels, calling them "crazy people."

But in the following one and a half hours, Trump found himself in a "battle" with afternoon drowsiness. CNN joked that even when cabinet members gathered for the presidential favorite "collective praise" session, he repeatedly appeared to be dozing off.

Regarding this scene on Tuesday, White House press secretary Karoline Levitt responded in a statement, saying that Trump was fully focused throughout the three-hour marathon cabinet meeting. She also praised Trump for holding nine cabinet meetings this year and called his response during the Q&A session, where he criticized Democrats and Somali immigrants, as "the highlight."

"In all these historically significant meetings, the president and his outstanding team have been listing the remarkable achievements made for the American people and fulfilling the promise of 'Make America Great Again,' " Levitt emphasized.

According to CNN's description, about 15 minutes after Trump criticized The New York Times' report, it was time for the Secretary of Commerce, Lewkowitz, to speak. However, when he praised the results of the trade war and said, "This is the greatest cabinet under the greatest president in history," Trump already looked tired, with his eyelids almost closed.

CNN screenshot

During the speeches of the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development and the Secretary of Agriculture, his blinking frequency became slower; by the time the Secretaries of Treasury, Labor, and Environmental Protection spoke, the struggle was more obvious.

When the Secretaries of Education and Health and Human Services spoke, Trump sat motionless, closing his eyes for 10 to 15 seconds multiple times before slowly moving his eyes or nodding slightly.

Until around 1:45 p.m., when the last speaker, Secretary of State Rubio, began praising Trump's efforts to end wars, Trump relapsed into drowsiness, appearing even more sleepy. He even suddenly straightened up as if trying to cover up while Rubio was speaking.

At the end of Rubio's speech, the secretary made a joke, and the cabinet members laughed heartily. But Trump only slightly tightened his lips and opened his eyes slightly.

CNN reported that this is the second time within a month that Trump has shown clear signs of dozing off in public activities at the White House. The previous time was on November 6th, and after that, The Washington Post compared multiple videos and calculated that Trump was struggling to keep his eyes open for nearly 20 minutes.

Washington Post screenshot

This media outlet tried to take a "compassionate" stance. The report stated that an 79-year-old man falling asleep is not necessarily a sign of serious health problems, nor is it particularly rare. Moreover, based on the frequency of online posts, Trump probably stayed up late and got up early the day before the cabinet meeting, so it was understandable for him to feel sleepy in the afternoon.

However, the media also mentioned that during Biden's administration, Trump and the Republicans frequently accused him of dozing off as "neglect of duty" and "unpresidential behavior." Now that Trump himself is facing health concerns, it is actually the backlash of his past remarks. "He constantly labeled others as 'Sleepy Joe,' but now he can't escape drowsiness either, which will only draw more attention."

As Trump's public scenes of drowsiness have become more frequent recently, many pro-Democratic media outlets have seized the opportunity to write extensively about his health issues.

Last week, The New York Times published a detailed report, supposedly based on data, pointing out that Trump has shown signs of aging. The report stated that Trump has always used his abundant energy and physical strength as a political advantage, but this image is increasingly difficult for him to maintain.

The article analyzed Trump's public schedule this year and during his first term, finding that the American public sees him less often than in the past. The report pointed out that compared to the same period in 2017, his number of public appearances has decreased, domestic travel frequency has dropped significantly, but overseas trips have increased.

The report also mentioned that Trump's current public schedule is shorter than ever, with most appearances concentrated between noon and 5 p.m., and occasional signs of fatigue in public, "like a rabbit running out of battery power."

However, The New York Times also acknowledged that Trump's presence in American society remains almost everywhere, and the frequency of media interviews he accepts is "far higher than during Biden's administration."

For this report, Trump quickly posted on social media, attacking, "The New York Times cowards are stirring up trouble again."

He did not mention the other male co-author of the article, Dylan Freedman, a journalist from The New York Times' artificial intelligence project, but instead attacked the White House reporter, Katie Rogers, a female journalist.

Trump criticized, "The author of this report, Katie Rogers, was assigned specifically to write negative stories about me. She is a third-rate reporter, both in mind and appearance." He also criticized The New York Times, saying, "It is about to go bankrupt."

While boasting about how hard he has worked this year, Trump wrote, "One day I will lose my energy, which everyone experiences. Given that I just received a perfect medical examination and comprehensive cognitive test ('excellent results'), it definitely isn't now!"

The White House has also recently released the results of Trump's magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) checkup. On December 1st, White House physician Captain Sean Barbabella revealed that the MRI results showed "completely normal."

Regarding the question of why Trump underwent an MRI, Levitt provided a summary at the briefing, stating that this checkup was part of Trump's "comprehensive presidential physical," a preventive measure.

Levitt said that the cardiovascular imaging results were completely normal, with no signs of arterial narrowing, blood flow damage, or abnormalities in the heart or major vessels.

She emphasized, "Overall, his cardiovascular system is in excellent condition. Abdominal imaging was also completely normal."

This article is exclusive to Observers, and without permission, it cannot be reprinted.

Original: toutiao.com/article/7579517056572195362/

Statement: This article represents the views of the author.