U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio testifies at a U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., U.S., June 3, 2026. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein
Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Calf.) hammered Secretary of State Marco Rubio as he appeared in a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing on Tuesday over questions about President Donald Trump's fitness for office. Rubio's reactions led Lieu to claim he was lying under oath.
Lieu showed the footage of the December Cabinet meeting in which Trump appeared to doze off next to Rubio.
"Oh my God," Rubio could be heard saying.
Lieu asked whether Rubio had "been at more than one meeting where President Trump was asleep."
"That's false," Rubio said. "That's false. I've never seen him fall asleep. On the contrary, the guy doesn't sleep, which is a big problem because he calls me at two in the morning. He calls me at five in the morning. And, you know, I like to sleep a little bit. You know, not 12 hours, but at least six."
Trump's insomnia was addressed by CNN medical expert Dr. Jonathan Reiner. Reiner said that chronic insomnia can be “a severe illness," in large part because it can add "about 3-1/2 years to one’s age and [contribute] to a decline in mental functions."
"Secretary Rubio, I'm going to show you in a moment that you just lied to Congress," Lieu cut in.
"Oh, ok," Rubio said.
"This is a Cabinet meeting from last month where Donald Trump is sleeping while you are talking. Please show this video," Lieu said. "You are literally talking about issues of war and peace, and Donald Trump is sleeping right next to you."
Rubio denied it again.
Trump's disappearance from public view is raising questions, as he hasn't held any events or press conferences in about a week. Trump did speak to the New York Post on Tuesday in a interview that revealed a new medical malady.
"If Donald Trump cannot stay awake at these important meetings where the cameras are rolling, can you imagine what he is like when the cameras are not there? Have you been at classified meanings were Donald Trump has fallen asleep?" the congressman asked.
Rubio replied again that he'd never been in any meeting in which Trump fell asleep.
"So, you are lying again? Lying consistently to Congress," Lieu responded.
He went on to say that Trump's drowsiness "caused other countries to perceive him differently." He claimed that Trump is mocked as "weak and feeble."
Lieu then showed a clip from the French News in which Trump appears to fall asleep at a Memorial Day ceremony last month. His eyes appeared to be closed for a large portion of the ceremony.
"There's something wrong with his cognitive acts, and the fact that on a number of occasions Donald Trump will contradict himself and literally — in literally the same meeting or interview," Lieu continued. He showed another clip in which Trump "says the Iranian military is both destroyed and not destroyed at the same time."
Lieu closed by praising Rubio, saying that he's done a lot to travel around the world and trying to clean up the "mess that was left to you."
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