Secretary of State Marco Rubio faced sharp questioning before the House Foreign Affairs Committee on Wednesday after California Democratic Rep. Ted Lieu raised concerns about President Donald Trump’s health and sleep habits, playing video clips that he said showed Trump appearing to doze off during official events.
Rubio rejected the premise of the questioning and pushed back forcefully as the exchange grew heated during a hearing tied to the State Department’s fiscal 2027 budget request.
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RUBIO: “I’ve never seen Trump fall asleep.”@RepTedLieu: “You just lied to Congress. Here’s a video of him sleeping while you were talking.” pic.twitter.com/DduepqYa4X
— The Tennessee Holler (@TheTNHoller) June 3, 2026
A testy row over Trump's sleep habits
Asked directly whether he had ever seen Trump fall asleep in meetings, Rubio said he had not and argued that the president works at an intense pace.
“I’ve never seen him fall asleep,” Rubio told Lieu, adding that Trump “doesn’t sleep” and phones him early in the morning.
When Lieu pressed the point and showed a clip from a May Cabinet meeting in which Trump appeared slumped in his chair beside Rubio, the secretary cut in to deny the president was asleep.
Lieu then accused Rubio of lying to Congress, while Rubio called the line of questioning “a joke.”
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CNN’s Kaitlan Collins: Trump ‘Does Not Sleep’
— Documenting Saylor (@saylordocs) June 3, 2026
“You never want to be on Air Force One on a trip … going to Asia or something … Trump is just always up and talking, and he'll have them go wake staff up if they're asleep because he wants to talk to them.” pic.twitter.com/ph6H7fO6OZ
The Arctic issue steals some attention
The hearing did not stay focused only on Trump’s apparent fatigue.
Rubio also answered questions about Greenland, saying talks with Denmark and Greenland over the island’s use for collective defense were “in a good place” and that conversations continued monthly.
In a separate exchange, Rubio told lawmakers he agreed with Trump that owning territory could make defense arrangements easier, while stressing that the current talks were diplomatic rather than about outright acquisition.
The committee session, which also touched on Iran, election disputes, and other issues, reflected the broader political scrutiny surrounding Trump’s health and foreign policy.
