Donald Trump’s posting activity on Truth Social indicates he may have slept under five hours between Thursday and Friday, offering further insight into the limited rest the 79-year-old president might be getting.
The president engaged in a flurry of Truth Social posts from 12:05 a.m. to 2:45 a.m. on Friday, before resuming his activity at 7:33 a.m., as the Daily Beast initially highlighted.
Trump frequently states that he “doesn’t require much sleep,” and both his press secretary and other administration officials often commend his round-the-clock availability.
However, the president has been observed dozing off during various official engagements, including Cabinet meetings, press conferences, and most recently, an Oval Office announcement on Thursday afternoon. During these lengthy sessions, Trump’s eyes have periodically closed for several seconds at a time.
In the past, Trump has refuted claims of sleeping, asserting that he merely “closed his eyes” due to boredom.
A White House official informed The Independent that the president’s late-night posts are either made by Trump himself, owing to his minimal sleep, or by staff members reviewing articles and content Trump encountered the previous day.
For many years, Trump and his supporters have highlighted the president’s capacity to operate effectively on very little sleep.
Vice President JD Vance noted on Fox News in November 2024 that Trump remained awake for an entire 20-hour trip. Last year, former Attorney General Pam Bondi commented that no one could “keep pace” with Trump due to his limited sleep.
“President Trump stands as the sharpest, most accessible, and most dynamic president in American history. His commitment is unwavering, a fact he demonstrates daily,” White House Spokesperson Davis Ingle told The Independent.
Trump is well-known for his prolific Truth Social posting habits, which often include lengthy rants, screenshots of X posts from supporters, AI-generated visuals, and favorable news articles. These intensive posting sessions frequently occur late at night, on weekends, or during holidays.
Friday morning’s early Truth Social activity commenced around midnight with the president sharing a New York Post article and expressing criticism towards Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, whom Trump suggested “should step down.”
He extended congratulations to the newly appointed leadership of the Border Patrol union; re-shared a video featuring MAGA Senator Mike Lee’s critique of Democrats; posted commentary on that video from both Lee and Elon Musk; uploaded a compilation video endorsing the conspiracy theory that Hillary Clinton orchestrated the Russia election interference investigation; and re-posted critical X comments directed at Clinton and former President Barack Obama.
After 1:00 a.m., the president denounced the Southern Poverty Law Center as “one of the biggest political hoaxes in American History” and a “Democrat deception,” subsequently linking it to the 2020 election.
“If these claims are substantiated, the 2020 Presidential Election should be permanently nullified and declared without further force or validity! Your attention to this matter is appreciated,” Trump penned.
The president then shared a screenshot of an X post that erroneously attributed a favorable quote about him to actor Clint Eastwood. PolitiFact determined that the 2020 quote actually originated from former New Hampshire state Representative Fred Doucette.
Following additional screenshots of Musk’s X posts, the president posted a Breitbart video around 2:45 a.m., after which he stopped posting until 7:30 a.m.