Ted Lieu questions Trump's fitness after viral Oval Office footage

President Donald Trump came under fire from opposition lawmakers after he allegedly fell asleep during an event at the Oval Office. Critics jumped on the footage showing Trump seemingly dozing off, with Democratic Representative Ted Lieu claiming it to be proof that Trump is both "physically and mentally" unfit to serve. Amid the chaos, the White House has come to the President's defense, saying that he was "blinking."

In the video footage from a formal health briefing on Monday, Trump is seen with his eyes shut and barely moving for a period of time. Sharing the clip on X, the Democratic Congressman wrote: "Today is Monday. That means Trump falls asleep at yet another high-profile event with cameras rolling." He expressed that he could only imagine what happens when there are no cameras. "Trump is not mentally or physically fit to be President of the United States," he averred. 

Trump was hosting an event on maternal health when he was surrounded by Cabinet members, Alabama Sen. Katie Britt, and Dr. Mehmet Oz, head of the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services. He was pictured with his eyes closed as Dorothy Fink, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Women's Health, presented figures on reductions in maternal mortality rates, noting that the Perinatal Improvement Collaborative hospitals had reduced maternal mortality by 41.5% compared to a 5.9% drop in the benchmark hospital. However, several viewers accused the President of dozing off. 

The White House's Rapid Response account on X clarified that the President was just blinking. "He was blinking, you absolute moron," the account wrote in a post in response to a Reuters photograph of the President with his eyes shut. Lieu jumped on the Rapid Response post as well, by once again sharing the video of Trump seemingly dozing off with the caption: "Dear @RapidResponse47: That is a verrrrrrrrryyyyy long blink."

While the White House has not directly responded to the accusations, Communications Director Steven Cheung responded to Lieu with some strong words. "Ted Lewd is a loser of the highest order, and he needs to get serious professional help for his debilitating case of Trump Derangement Syndrome," he told The Daily Beast. This isn't the first time that Trump has been accused of nodding off during a White House event.

In January, Trump seemingly fell asleep during a televised event and later remarked he wasn't asleep, just bored. The President, who regularly criticized his predecessor as "Sleepy Joe," told The Wall Street Journal that he shuts his eyes occasionally. "It's very relaxing to me," he said. "Sometimes they'll take a picture of me blinking, blinking, and they'll catch me with the blink," he explained at the time.