Fox News' Brian Kilmeade appeared to admit Friday that President Donald Trump's apparent sleeping spells during meetings were real — but mounted a personal defense of the president's frequent snoozing while pleading with viewers to "please stop" drawing attention to it.
“I've been accused of a lot of things but not cognitive decline — anyone who's with me on Friday or Saturday, or sometimes around 2 o’clock on the train, I will fall asleep!” Kilmeade said on “Fox & Friends.” “That's what happens when you sleep four hours a day, and for his case, you have the weight of the country on your shoulders. Sometimes you fall asleep, let alone being 80 years old!”
As the oldest serving president in U.S. history, Trump has drawn growing scrutiny surrounding his physical and cognitive health. Onlookers have observed the president in recent months with bruising on his hands, swollen ankles, a rash on his neck, and appearing to doze off during important meetings.
Trump’s apparent sleeping spells, however, were not an indicator of the president’s cognitive health, Kilmeade argued, insisting that Trump sounded “the same way he did 25 years ago,” the host said, before comparing him favorably to former President Joe Biden, whose cognitive decline was on full display during the first 2024 presidential debate.
“So just take a step back, listen to an interview of President Trump 20 years ago, 10 years ago, five years ago, five days ago, it's the same guy, answering bigger and bigger questions on a daily basis!” Kilmeade said. “So please, stop equating [Trump and Biden]!”
Brian @kilmeade admits Trump's apparent sleeping spells are real but offers a personal defense:
"Anyone who's with me on Friday or Saturday, or sometimes around 2 o'clock on the train, I will fall asleep!" pic.twitter.com/SWOh9b8M9a
— Alexander Willis (@ReporterWillis) May 29, 2026