On July 7, 2026, U.S. President Donald Trump met with Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for a bilateral discussion during the NATO summit held in Turkey. Videos circulating online claimed that these recordings showed Trump falling asleep during the meeting.
A particular video shared on social media, accompanied by commentary suggesting Trump was asleep again during discussions with President Erdogan, shows Trump leaning to his right and appearing to nod.
While the video itself is authentic, it does not depict Trump falling asleep. The footage used in the claim has been edited by cropping out the interpreter situated to Trump’s right. In the complete recording, Trump is observed leaning in and actively listening to the interpreter who is translating Erdogan’s statements for him. Therefore, the claim is classified as miscaptioned.
Upon reviewing the White House’s livestream of the meeting, it’s evident that translators were seated behind both presidents. When Trump spoke in English, a translator behind Erdogan would relay his words to the Turkish leader.
The specific moment in question can be observed around the 13:00 mark of the livestream. Each time President Erdogan began speaking or a journalist posed a question in Turkish, Trump would lean towards his right to hear the translation. The angle of his head and the lowering of his eyes in these instances may create the illusion that he is sleeping.
An examination of the full video revealed no evidence of Trump actually sleeping during this particular meeting. Instead, there are several instances where he leans to his right to better hear the person speaking beside him.
This meeting occurred as President Trump began the NATO summit with critical remarks about U.S. allies, only to conclude it by expressing considerable warmth between them. NATO leaders reaffirmed their mutual defense commitments during the summit.
This is not the first time President Trump has faced allegations of napping in public. Previous reports have examined similar claims, including instances where Trump did appear to have dozed off.
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