A CNN segment scrutinizing President Donald Trump’s health — including questions about the 79-year-old’s sleep habits — went viral online and drew a sharp rebuke from the White House.
On Tuesday, CNN medical analyst Dr. Jonathan Reiner joined host Kate Bolduan to discuss the commander-in-chief’s fitness for office ahead of Trump’s trip to Walter Reed Medical Center for his second check-up since October.
Reiner, a professor at George Washington University’s School of Medicine and former Vice President Dick Cheney’s longtime cardiologist, outlined what he described as a range of pressing concerns, alluding to the possibility that the White House has not been transparent.
“The president has severe daytime somnolence. He falls asleep very often. He’s fallen asleep in the Oval Office on multiple occasions with people talking to him, in the cabinet room,” he said. “And chronic insomnia is a severe illness. It can result in an increase in risk of dementia, a decrease in cognitive effects in older people,” he added,
Over the past year, Trump has sometimes appeared drowsy during official events, closing his eyes for 10 or 15 seconds, including at a National Guard briefing in March.
“So it’s a real problem and the president appears to struggle to stay awake during the day,” Reiner continued. “And I’d like to hear what the White House has done to evaluate why the president has this increased daytime somnolence and what they’re doing to improve that.”
Reiner also pointed to other “visible health concerns,” including recurring bruising on Trump’s hands and swelling in his ankles. The White House has previously attributed those issues to vigorous handshaking and chronic venous insufficiency, respectively — explanations the CNN analyst said strain credibility.
The White House Rapid Response account on X quickly fired back at the network, posting a series of screenshots showing CNN anchors and guests mid-blink or looking downward and accusing them of falling asleep on air.
“Did [Bolduan] and her guest on Fake News CNN just fall asleep mid-interview? Their eyes are CLOSED,” the account wrote Tuesday, alongside a screengrab from Bolduan’s interview with Reiner. “What are they hiding about their health?”
In a statement to The Independent, White House spokesman Davis Ingle dismissed Reiner as potentially “a Democrat hack doctor.”
“President Trump is the sharpest, most accessible, and energetic president in American history and any so-called medical professionals engaging in armchair diagnosis or false speculation for political purposes are clearly breaking the Hippocratic Oath they’ve sworn to,” Ingle said.
Conservative podcaster Megyn Kelly also weighed in on the segment, which has drawn more than 1 million views on X, labeling concerns as overblown.
“I love how Trump occasionally nodding off has got to be some secret, scary medical issue (obviously they’re raising his fitness for office). Maybe it’s just that he doesn’t sleep much at night and these events are…kinda long/dry/not that scintillating?” she said in a post.
Following a visit to Walter Reed, Trump struck a characteristically boastful tone on Truth Social, writing: “Everything checked out PERFECTLY.” Previously, he has claimed he “aced” a cognitive exam.
Still, polling suggests persistent public concern about the president’s health ahead of his 80th birthday next month.
An April Washington Post/Ipsos survey found that just 40 percent of Americans believe Trump has the mental sharpness required for the presidency. A Reuters/Ipsos poll from the same month found that 51 percent believe his mental faculties declined over 2025 and early 2026.
Former President Joe Biden faced more intense scrutiny in polling leading up to his withdrawal from the 2024 presidential race. In a June 2024 CBS News survey, 65 percent of respondents said he lacked the cognitive health to serve as president.
