Viral clips of President Donald Trump appearing to nod off during high-profile meetings have sparked a new wave of online scrutiny, culminating in the viral nickname "Dozy Don." The moniker, which has trended across social media since late 2025, represents a sharp reversal of the "Sleepy Joe" label the President famously used against his predecessor.
The controversy reached a fever pitch following a series of televised appearances where the 79-year-old President’s "resting eyes" became a central topic of political debate.
The Origin of "Dozy Don"
The nickname gained significant traction in November 2025, after California Governor Gavin Newsom used it to describe Trump’s behavior during a White House event regarding obesity and sleep. Newsom's jab, "Dozy Don is back," quickly went viral, prompting critics to point out the irony of the President appearing to doze off during a discussion about sleep loss.
The Viral Clips
The Obesity Summit (Nov 2025): Trump was photographed and filmed with his eyes closed for several moments while a pharmaceutical executive discussed weight-loss drug pricing.
The Rubio Cabinet Meeting (Dec 2025): A clip from a December Cabinet meeting showed the President leaning back with his eyes shut while Secretary of State Marco Rubio was speaking. Late-night hosts, including Jimmy Kimmel, mocked the scene, with Kimmel joking that Rubio needed to "lower his voice" so as not to wake the President.
The "Prayer" Defense: Supporters, including Representative Lauren Boebert, have defended these moments, suggesting the President was actually "engaged in an endearing moment of prayer" rather than sleeping.
Fox News & Viewer Reaction
The reaction from Fox News has become a separate flashpoint. While hosts like Laura Ingraham and Jesse Watters have jumped to the President’s defense—arguing that he is "working all hours" and simply caught in a "long blink"—the coverage has been met with mixed reactions from viewers.
Defensive Viewers: Many longtime Fox viewers have echoed the administration’s "pro-worker" narrative, claiming Trump is exhausted from his aggressive 2026 policy agenda.
The Hypocrisy Debate: Social media has been flooded with "split-screen" comparisons showing the same news anchors who criticized Joe Biden’s "sleepiness" now defending Trump’s "napping."
Health Concerns: Despite the defense, a subset of viewers has expressed genuine concern regarding the President’s mental acuity and physical health, especially following his recent admission of a high-dose aspirin habit.
The "Just Blinking" Defense
In a New Year’s Day 2026 interview with The Wall Street Journal, the President dismissed the viral clips, claiming he has "never fallen asleep" in a meeting. He stated he was merely "relaxing his eyes" or caught mid-blink by "fake news photographers" looking for a bad angle.
