Donald Trump is old. It’s not an observation or a critique but a fact. And he suffers from what most of the older people in his age range do. He often falls asleep during long periods of time when he has nothing to do. One of such moments was during the state banquet at Windsor Castle, while King Charles III gave a short speech of 9 minutes in his honor.
President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump are on a state visit to the UK, where they visited Windsor Castle for a state dinner or banquet. King Charles and Queen Camila welcomed the First couple, and then Charles delivered his welcome speech to welcome Trump. However, President Trump appeared to have drifted off during the speech.
The moment was captured by cameras present during the festivities and set the internet on fire. There were several speculations over Trump’s ability to stay awake at important events and questions were raised if he was fit enough to even attend diplomatic events. His age and health again became the topic of discussion.
The List broke the story and claimed that President Donald Trump could be seen with his eyes closed and head bowed. He was slumped, and his demeanor looked tired. Even though the banquet was a lavish royal affair filled with wine, food, and glamor, Trump seemed low on energy. Many noted that President Trump seemed fatigued, and this was not the first time this has happened.
Donald Trump is 79 years old, and while at this age, many seniors would probably prefer to tone down their daily activities, being in politics, Trump has to maintain the public image of vigor and fitness.
During King Charles III’s state dinner speech at Windsor Castle in honor of Donald Trump, the U.S. president seemingly was dozing off at the table. https://t.co/5vhnG6T7LL
— The List (@TheListDaily) September 19, 2025
Images coming out of this event had added to the speculations that Trump is probably waning under the pressure of the office.
As one commentary from The List put it, “his trip to England has been peeling back the veneer of his seemingly endless personality … revealing that age just might be catching up with him.”
While people at the event would have understood Trump being tired, the reactions of social media users on X were sharp. These were either sarcastic or humorous.
One of the users wrote “Trump falling asleep during King Charles’ speech at the State Dinner is absolutely predictable. I love it.”
Trump falling asleep during King Charles speech at State Dinner 🥱😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴 absolutely predictable I love it. @cnn quickly switching camera angles every time he begins to nod off, so as not to incur his wrath.
— James St James (@JSJdarling) September 17, 2025
Another user drew a comparison to King Charles. Charles is 76 and is dealing with cancer however, even after attending so many public events, he is rarely seen dozing off in public. Users were then questioning if Trump’s tiredness was more than just the result of a long evening.
However, not everyone on social media was out to get Donald Trump. There were a few commentators who questioned the legitimacy of the images. They wondered if the images were real or had been manipulated.
Others also suggested that the image could be just a momentary lapse that was then pulled into a whole controversy.
White House or press secretaries have offered no explanation so far. However, the media just might not let it go so easily. Observers will be looking to see if other moments like this last. People would wait for the formal explanation, and see if it fits into health discussions that are already dominating public discourse.
