Donald Trump faced a fresh wave of criticism after a viral Memorial Day video appeared to show the president sitting with his eyes closed during a solemn military tribute, reigniting long-running online attacks about his attentiveness and fitness for office.
The footage, widely circulated Monday across X and other social media platforms, showed Trump seated during a Memorial Day ceremony while former Fox News host Pete Hegseth delivered remarks honoring fallen U.S. service members.
In the clip, Trump appeared to keep his eyes shut for several seconds while attendees around him stood at attention. The video quickly became a political flashpoint, with critics accusing him of looking disengaged during one of the country's most solemn national observances.
The controversy began after political video account Acyn posted the footage online, where it was later amplified by PatriotTakes, a group that monitors conservative political figures and messaging.
"Looks bored," PatriotTakes wrote alongside the clip, helping drive millions of views and triggering an avalanche of commentary from both Trump critics and supporters.
Memorial Day ceremonies traditionally carry immense symbolic weight in American political culture, particularly for presidents and presidential candidates. Public officials are expected to project attentiveness, reverence and discipline during tributes honoring military personnel killed in combat.
That context intensified scrutiny over even the brief and ambiguous moment captured on video.
Several Democratic-aligned commentators and anti-Trump activists quickly seized on the footage to revive longstanding accusations that Trump frequently appears drowsy or disengaged during public appearances.
BlueRibbonPAC, a Democratic-aligned political action committee, posted: "Donald Trump has always been this way. It's nothing new, but was always why he IS unfit for office."
Independent journalist Aaron Rupar added another widely shared jab, writing: "Trump 'blinked' for a long time during Pete Hegseth's Memorial Day speech."
The wording echoed years of online jokes portraying Trump as inattentive during official events. One activist revived the nickname "Don Snorleone," a label that has periodically circulated among Trump critics during previous viral clips showing the president with his eyes closed in public settings.
The debate over the video quickly evolved into another broader political Rorschach test surrounding Trump himself.
Critics argued the footage reflected a deeper lack of seriousness and discipline during a tribute to fallen troops. Supporters countered that the outrage was exaggerated and politically motivated.
Conservative commentator Anthony Galli defended Trump online, arguing the president was not asleep at all.
"It's sunny so President Trump is squinting hard to take in the patriotic message," Galli wrote on X.
Trump allies have repeatedly pushed back against similar accusations over the years. Previous videos showing Trump with his eyes closed during Cabinet meetings, speeches or Oval Office events have often prompted online speculation that he was dozing off.
Trump himself has denied such claims in the past, insisting that he sometimes closes his eyes while listening carefully to speakers rather than out of fatigue.
Nothing in the Memorial Day clip definitively proves Trump fell asleep. The footage only shows him seated with his eyes closed for several moments during Hegseth's remarks, leaving interpretation largely shaped by political perspective.
