President Donald Trump’s Trump Oval Office vaccine announcement drew fresh ridicule online after videos appeared to show him closing his eyes repeatedly during the ceremony.
On Monday, Trump signed an executive order directing changes to childhood immunization policy. The order calls for reducing the number of vaccines recommended for children and for splitting the MMR shot, which protects against measles, mumps and rubella, into three separate vaccines.
Trump Oval Office vaccine announcement and policy shift
The action is part of the administration’s effort to reshape the childhood vaccine schedule, a push led by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has long questioned vaccine safety, according to officials.
During the event, the 80-year-old president sat behind the Resolute Desk as Kennedy and National Institutes of Health Director Jay Bhattacharya delivered remarks. Cameras captured Trump with his eyes closed at several points, clips that quickly circulated across social media platforms.
Reaction online was swift. Some users mocked the footage, with one writing that he seemed to drift off, while another questioned why members of the press did not address it. Others defended the president, with one commenter suggesting the speaker’s remarks were dull.
Trump, the oldest person ever inaugurated as president, has faced continuing scrutiny about his health since returning to the White House. Observers have noted prior instances during official events when he appeared to keep his eyes closed for extended periods, including at Senator Lindsey Graham’s funeral last month.
In May, a television medical analyst, Dr. Jonathan Reiner, said the president showed signs of severe daytime somnolence and alleged he has fallen asleep during meetings in the Oval Office and cabinet room. He also warned that chronic insomnia can heighten dementia risk and impair cognition in older adults.
White House response and public perception
White House pushes back
The White House has rejected such characterizations. A spokesperson said Trump is “the sharpest, most accessible, and energetic president in American history,” and criticized medical professionals who speculate about his condition.
Trump has repeatedly asserted that he is in excellent health. Following a physical at Walter Reed in May, he wrote on Truth Social that everything had “checked out PERFECTLY.”
A YouGov poll last year found that 78 percent of respondents believed Trump had not been transparent about his physical health.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Earlier this year, a separate controversy over White House ballroom construction also prompted questions about transparency inside the administration.