What To Know
- CNN medical analyst Dr. Jonathan Reiner expressed concern after President Trump appeared to fall asleep during a recent Oval Office meeting, suggesting he should be medically evaluated.
- This incident is part of a pattern, as Trump has reportedly dozed off during multiple official meetings, raising questions about his health and alertness.
- Reiner has also criticized Trump’s erratic speech patterns and his use of high-dose aspirin, calling both medically concerning and unnecessary.
Dr. Jonathan Reiner, CNN’s medical expert, said Donald Trump needs to be evaluated after the President’s recent Oval Office meeting, which appeared to show him falling asleep.
The moment in question happened at the White House on Wednesday when Trump signed a bill allowing whole milk to be served in school cafeterias. During the meeting, which saw Trump surrounded by dozens of officials and guests, the President appeared to close his eyes for an extended period.
Reiner, who previously served as cardiologist to the late Vice President Dick Cheney, shared his thoughts on the matter. Alongside a video clip of the moment, Reiner wrote, “The president seems to be struggling with excessive daytime somnolence,” Reiner wrote, referring to the condition Hypersomnia, which makes a person feel extremely sleepy during the day.
He continued, “Repeatedly falling asleep with a dozen people surrounding your desk is not normal. It needs to be evaluated.”
The president seems to be struggling with excessive daytime somnolence.
Repeatedly falling asleep with a dozen people surrounding your desk is not normal. It needs to be evaluated. https://t.co/jt1ati3Z39— Jonathan Reiner (@JReinerMD) January 15, 2026
The recent Oval Office incident was the latest in a string of meetings in which Trump has appeared to doze off. During a cabinet meeting on December 2, the President shut his eyes on several occasions and, at times, seemed to drift off completely before squinting back awake.
Reiner has spoken frequently about his concerns for Trump’s health in recent months. Speaking to CNN’s Jake Tapper last month, Reiner touched on Trump’s December 17 White House address, saying, “It was delivered with a manic cadence, almost a frantic cadence… It was as if you felt like you were listening to a podcast on 2x. And that kind of manic delivery was very, very disturbing.”
He also touched on Trump’s apparent sleepiness, adding, “It’s jarring to see the president go from basically asleep in the Oval Office to, you know, really this rapid-fire pace during basically a 30 minute speech that he gave in 18 minutes.”
More recently, Reiner commented on Trump’s high-dose aspirin regimen, calling it “nonsense” and medically unnecessary.
