Rubio denies Trump asleep in meetings; Lieu presents video evidence
During a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing, Rep. Ted Lieu confronted Secretary of State Marco Rubio with video evidence appearing to show President Trump dozing off in a Cabinet meeting and at a Memorial Day event. Rubio denied ever seeing Trump asleep, calling the accusations absurd. Lieu accused Rubio of lying to Congress and raised concerns about Trump’s health and cognitive abilities, noting his eight-day absence from public view and repeated cognitive tests. The exchange escalated into a heated partisan clash over transparency.
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Trump Mental State Exposed in Damning Video as Rubio Spins
This article is a transcript of The Daily Blast podcast, analyzing a House Foreign Relations Committee hearing where Rep. Ted Lieu (D-CA) confronted Secretary of State Marco Rubio about President Trump falling asleep during Cabinet meetings. Lieu played video evidence showing Trump sleeping next to Rubio, who denied the president had ever fallen asleep. The exchange highlights a Democratic strategy to focus on Trump's physical and mental decline. Analyst Brian Beutler argues the tactic aims to put administration officials in a bind, forcing them to make statements contradicted by video evidence, thereby pressuring them and exposing what he calls a pattern of misrepresentation to the public.
The New RepublicTrump Mental State Exposed in Damning Video as Rubio Spins
This article is a transcript of The Daily Blast podcast, analyzing a House Foreign Relations Committee hearing where Rep. Ted Lieu confronted Secretary of State Marco Rubio about President Trump falling asleep during meetings. Lieu played video evidence showing Trump sleeping next to Rubio, who denied it under oath. The hosts argue this highlights Trump's physical and mental decline, and that Democrats should aggressively highlight such issues. The exchange is framed as a tactic to force administration officials into public contradictions.
The New RepublicRubio Pressed on Trump's Mental State in Congressional Hearing
This article is a transcript of The Daily Blast podcast, analyzing a House Foreign Relations Committee hearing where Secretary of State Marco Rubio was questioned by Representative Ted Lieu. Lieu played video evidence showing President Trump apparently asleep during a Cabinet meeting, and pressed Rubio on whether Trump has fallen asleep in other meetings, including classified ones. Rubio denied the claims, stating he has never seen Trump fall asleep and that Trump calls him at odd hours. The podcast hosts, Greg Sargent and Brian Beutler, argue that Lieu's tactic effectively exposed what they describe as Trump's ongoing physical and mental decline, and forced Rubio into a defensive position that could be politically damaging. They frame the exchange as a model for Democrats to aggressively challenge the administration in the information war.
The New RepublicTrump Mental State Questioned as Video Flummoxes Rubio During House Testimony
During a House committee hearing on Wednesday, Representative Ted Lieu confronted Secretary of State Marco Rubio with video evidence of Donald Trump falling asleep and producing incoherent speech, questioning Trump's mental fitness. Lieu repeatedly pressed Rubio on the footage, which the article describes as cornering Rubio into denying observable reality. The article, from The New Republic, frames this as a pivotal moment demonstrating Trump's unfitness for the presidency and argues Democrats should relentlessly highlight such incidents. It includes an interview with Brian Beutler, who discusses the strategic importance of viral confrontations, Trump's strong-versus-weak worldview, and advice for Texas Senate candidate James Talarico in combating right-wing smears. The piece is part of a podcast episode from The Daily Blast with Greg Sargent.
The New RepublicTrump Mental State Questioned After Video Shown to Rubio in Hearing
During a House committee hearing, Representative Ted Lieu confronted Secretary of State Marco Rubio with video footage of Donald Trump appearing to fall asleep and speaking incoherently, questioning Trump's mental fitness. Lieu accused Rubio of lying about the video's content. The article, from The New Republic, analyzes this as a strategic moment for Democrats to highlight Trump's unfitness for office. It includes an interview with political commentator Brian Beutler, who discusses the need for Democrats to pick viral confrontations, Trump's strong-versus-weak worldview, and how Texas Senate candidate James Talarico should counter right-wing attacks. The piece frames the incident as emblematic of current political dynamics.
The New RepublicTed Lieu Clashes with Marco Rubio Over Trump's Health in Heated Hearing
During a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing, Democratic Representative Ted Lieu confronted Secretary of State Marco Rubio with video evidence appearing to show President Donald Trump asleep during cabinet meetings. Lieu pressed Rubio on Trump's health and cognitive abilities, citing the president's repeated hospital visits and an eight-day absence from public view. Rubio denied the president was sleeping, claiming Trump calls him late at night and early in the morning, and called the questions 'outrageous' and 'a joke.' Lieu played multiple clips, including one from a French news show mocking Trump as 'weak' and 'feeble,' and accused Rubio of lying. The exchange escalated as Lieu demanded transparency, saying the American people deserve the truth about the president's condition. Dr. Mehmet Oz, head of Medicare & Medicaid Services, dismissed Trump's four hospital checkups since taking office as 'routine,' adding 'I think he likes the results.'
HuffPost UK - Athena2 - All Entries (Public)Ted Lieu Accuses Marco Rubio of Lying About Trump's Health During Heated Hearing
During a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing, Democratic Representative Ted Lieu confronted Secretary of State Marco Rubio with video evidence showing President Donald Trump appearing to fall asleep during cabinet meetings. Lieu pressed Rubio on whether Trump had nodded off in classified meetings, accusing him of lying. Rubio denied the claims, insisting Trump is energetic and calls him late at night. Lieu cited multiple videos and Trump's repeated hospital visits as evidence of declining health or cognitive issues. Dr. Mehmet Oz, head of Medicare & Medicaid Services, dismissed the hospital visits as routine checkups. The exchange grew tense, with Lieu telling Rubio to 'just keep lying' as Rubio called the questions 'outrageous' and 'absurd.'
HuffPost UK - Athena2 - All Entries (Public)Rubio denies ever seeing Trump fall asleep during meetings
Secretary of State Marco Rubio testified before the House Foreign Relations Committee on Wednesday, denying a claim that President Donald Trump has fallen asleep during Cabinet meetings. When asked by Representative Ted Lieu (D-Calif.) whether he had witnessed such an incident, Rubio responded, 'That's false. I've never seen him fall asleep. On the contrary...' The brief exchange occurred during a routine oversight hearing, with Rubio firmly rejecting the allegation without further elaboration in the provided excerpt.
Just In NewsRubio Accused of Lying to Congress About Trump Falling Asleep
During a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing, Secretary of State Marco Rubio denied ever seeing President Trump fall asleep. Democratic Representative Ted Lieu confronted Rubio, showing video evidence of Trump dozing off during a Cabinet meeting in May while Rubio was speaking. Lieu then showed two additional videos, including one from a Memorial Day event. Rubio maintained his denial, claiming Trump was not asleep in the clips. Lieu accused Rubio of lying to Congress and suggested Trump has undisclosed health or cognitive issues, noting the president has not been seen in eight days and has undergone repeated cognitive tests. The article portrays Rubio's defense as hollow and an attempt to cover for his boss.
The New RepublicRubio Accused of Lying to Congress About Trump Falling Asleep in Meetings
During a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing on June 3, 2026, Democratic Representative Ted Lieu confronted Secretary of State Marco Rubio with video evidence showing President Donald Trump asleep during a Cabinet meeting while Rubio was speaking. Rubio initially claimed he had never seen Trump fall asleep, but Lieu played a video from May 2026 showing Trump dozing off next to Rubio. Lieu then showed two additional videos, including one from a Memorial Day event. Rubio continued to deny the evidence, calling Lieu's accusations absurd and claiming Trump works 'inhumane hours.' Lieu accused Rubio of lying to Congress and suggested there are serious concerns about Trump's health and cognitive abilities, noting the president has not been seen in eight days and has undergone repeated cognitive tests. The article portrays Rubio as covering for his boss.
The New RepublicRubio Caught in Lie to Congress on Trump Constantly Falling Asleep
During a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing, Democratic Representative Ted Lieu confronted Secretary of State Marco Rubio over claims that President Trump frequently falls asleep in meetings. Rubio initially denied ever seeing Trump asleep, but Lieu presented video evidence showing Trump dozing off during a Cabinet meeting in May while Rubio was speaking. Lieu showed two additional videos, including one from a Memorial Day event. Rubio continued to deny the evidence, calling Lieu's accusations absurd. Lieu accused Rubio of lying to Congress and suggested there are serious concerns about Trump's health and cognitive abilities, noting the president has not been seen in eight days and has undergone multiple cognitive tests. The article concludes that Rubio is clearly covering for his boss.
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