The White House is responding to pervasive claims that President Donald Trump fell asleep during the late Sen. Lindsey Graham’s funeral.
“This is Fake News,” White House spokesman Davis Ingle shared in a statement to Us on Wednesday, July 29, claiming that any allegation the command-in-chief was unconscious during the late politician’s celebration of life is being “peddled by individuals who clearly suffer from a severe and incurable disease known as Trump Derangement Syndrome.”
Ingle’s statement to Us differed from his previous claim to People, made earlier on Wednesday, in which the WH spokesperson alleged the president was simply “reflecting on the loss of his dear friend Lindsey Graham, for whom he had just delivered a beautiful eulogy.”
“Anyone suggesting otherwise is a depraved moron,” Ingle added to the outlet.
On Tuesday, July 28, Trump joined Vice President JD Vance, former Vice President Mike Pence, Fox News host Sean Hannity, Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh and other politicians on both sides of the political aisle in paying respects to Graham.
The South Carolina senator died on July 11 from a brief and sudden illness, his spokesperson previously confirmed. He was 71.
Trump delivered a eulogy for Graham during the service held at Cathedral Church of Saint Peter & Saint Paul. At one point during the funeral, however, he was spotted by TV cameras and photographers briefly closing his eyes.
“For more than 30 years, nothing of consequence happened in this capital without Lindsey Graham knowing about it,” Trump said in his eulogy to Graham via NBC News. “Nothing of significance happened anywhere in the world without Lindsey Graham having a view on it, and no bill became law in the most exceptional republic in human history without Lindsey Graham having a say in it.”
Although Graham was once a vocal critic of Trump’s when they ran against each other in the 2016 presidential race, the senator eventually became one of Trump’s closest and most trusted allies on Capitol Hill.
“He was a man who gave America the full measure of his good and mighty heart until that heart itself just gave out,” Trump said.
The White House, including chief of staff Susie Wiles, has repeatedly denied any speculation that Trump falls asleep during important meetings.
The chatter has arisen following previous public appearances, including an NBA Finals game Trump attended in June where he appeared to be dozing off as the New York Knicks played.
“When you love your job, when you love your country, and when you’re in a position like we are … you’re thinking about your country,” Trump told reporters in November 2025 during a sit-down with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. “I think about my country. I don’t want to sleep.”
