Doctor Claims Donald Trump, 79, Has ‘Severe Illness’

President Trump is once again facing uncomfortable questions about his age, stamina and fitness for office after he appeared to nod off during a solemn Memorial Day event at Arlington National Cemetery.

Now, a prominent doctor is warning that the 79-year-old president’s repeated public sleep episodes could point to a serious health concern.

Dr. Jonathan Reiner, a professor of medicine at George Washington University Hospital and former cardiologist to the late Vice President Dick Cheney, raised the alarm during an appearance on CNN ahead of Trump’s scheduled visit to Walter Reed Medical Center for a checkup.

Reiner said Trump appears to be showing signs of “severe daytime somnolence,” a medical term for excessive sleepiness during the day.

“The president has severe daytime somnolence. He falls asleep very often,” Reiner said on CNN News Central. “He’s fallen asleep in the Oval Office on multiple occasions with people talking to him in the Cabinet room, and I was concerned yesterday that he might have fallen asleep at Arlington National Cemetery during Memorial Day observances.”

The comment instantly added fresh fuel to a growing political and medical debate over Trump’s public behavior during his second term.

For years, Trump has branded his political enemies as weak, tired or “low energy.” He famously mocked former President Joe Biden as “Sleepy Joe.” But now, critics say the nickname may be boomeranging back on him.

Trump, who turns 80 next month, has repeatedly been photographed or filmed with his eyes closed during official events, including meetings, policy briefings, religious services and diplomatic appearances.

The most recent moment came during Memorial Day observances at Arlington, where the president appeared to sit with his eyes closed during the ceremony. Supporters insisted he was simply blinking or resting his eyes. Critics saw something much more troubling.

Reiner did not diagnose Trump directly from afar, but he suggested that chronic sleep problems in an elderly president should not be brushed aside.

“Chronic insomnia is a severe illness,” Reiner said. “It can result in an increase in risk of dementia, decrease in cognitive effects in older people.”

The White House immediately fired back.

Davis Ingle, a White House spokesman, dismissed Reiner as a “hack doctor” and accused him of making politically motivated claims.

“If it quacks like a duck, it may actually just be a Democrat hack doctor,” Ingle told the Daily Beast.

He added that Trump is “the sharpest, most accessible, and energetic president in American history” and accused medical professionals who speculate about the president’s health of engaging in “armchair diagnosis.”

But the White House’s aggressive defense has done little to quiet the chatter.

Trump’s visible fatigue has become a recurring issue. During a January Cabinet meeting, Trump denied he had been sleeping after photos showed him with his eyes closed. His explanation was blunt: he said the meeting was “pretty boring.”

That answer did not exactly reassure critics.

In November, California Gov. Gavin Newsom mocked Trump online after the president appeared slumped in his chair with his eyes shut during a drug pricing event. Newsom posted the image with the caption: “DOZY DON IS BACK!”

The phrase quickly spread among Trump’s critics, especially as more images circulated showing the president seemingly nodding off at public events.

The concern is not just about optics. Democrats have increasingly questioned whether Trump’s public behavior reflects a deeper issue.

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker recently told Politico that he believes Trump “has dementia.” Other critics have pointed to Trump’s rambling speeches, sudden outbursts, strange tangents and increasingly erratic comments as reasons for concern.

Last month, Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland, the senior Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, called on White House physician Capt. Sean Barbabella to conduct a full cognitive evaluation of the president and release the results to the public.

Raskin argued that Trump’s conduct warrants a “comprehensive cognitive assessment.”

“Experts have repeatedly warned that the President has been exhibiting signs consistent with dementia and cognitive decline,” Raskin wrote.

He also said Trump’s recent public statements and outbursts had become “incoherent, volatile, profane, deranged, and threatening,” adding that the president’s condition has caused “tremendous alarm across the nation.”

The White House has repeatedly rejected those claims, portraying Trump as energetic, sharp and fully in command.

Still, the growing list of sleepy public moments has made the issue harder to ignore.

On May 12, Trump appeared to nod off during a maternal health event while seated behind his desk and surrounded by Cabinet officials. When a Reuters photo of the moment spread online, the White House rapid response team snapped back at critics.

“He was blinking, you absolute moron,” the account wrote.

That combative response may have thrilled Trump’s base, but it did little to stop the broader conversation.

The political problem for Trump is obvious. He built much of his brand around strength, stamina and dominance. He relentlessly attacked Biden over age and acuity. Now, as he approaches 80, every closed-eye moment, rambling answer and slumped posture is being scrutinized through the same lens he once used against his opponent.

For Democrats, the issue is not just whether Trump gets tired during long events. It is whether the country is being given the full truth about the health of the man occupying the most powerful office in the world.

For Trump’s defenders, the latest criticism is another example of liberal doctors, Democratic politicians and hostile media outlets trying to manufacture a scandal out of a blink.

But with the president heading back to Walter Reed and questions about his public behavior mounting, one thing is clear: the “Sleepy Joe” attack line may now be one of Trump’s most awkward political liabilities.