The White House went into damage control this week after a viral clip appeared to show President Donald Trump briefly nodding off during an Oval Office briefing — quickly earning him the online nickname “Dozy Don.”
The video showed Trump leaning back with his eyes closed as Dr. Mehmet Oz discussed major price cuts for GLP-1 weight-loss drugs. Within hours, screenshots and memes flooded social media, with users dubbing him “The Nodfather” and mocking the irony of Trump seeming to doze after years of calling Biden “Sleepy Joe.” California Governor Gavin Newsom joined in, reposting the clip and circulating edited photos.
The administration fired back with a sharply worded statement calling the clip “garbage,” insisting Trump was paying attention and later answered questions from reporters. They accused the media of fixating on a misleading moment instead of focusing on what they described as a historic reduction in drug prices.
Despite the pushback, the jokes spread everywhere. Hashtags trended nationwide, late-night hosts piled on, and political strategists warned the optics were damaging. Conservative commentators defended Trump, claiming the video exaggerated a harmless moment.
The bad week didn’t end there. At another White House event, a pharmaceutical executive suddenly collapsed, with Dr. Oz and staff rushing to help. Although the man recovered, photos of Trump standing behind his desk as others tended to him went viral, adding to the administration’s PR troubles.
Inside the West Wing, aides scrambled to shift attention back to Medicare reforms, but the memes kept coming. Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders insisted Trump’s energy was unmatched and the “Dozy Don” narrative was ridiculous. Meanwhile, reports suggested Newsom’s team planned to use the moment in upcoming campaign ads.
Trump made a brief joke about the incident at a fundraiser, but insiders said he was privately furious. Critics called the episode symbolic, while supporters brushed it off. Still, the image of Trump seemingly dozing — especially after years of mocking his opponent — became one of the year’s most persistent memes.
In the end, the saga highlighted a harsh truth of modern politics: perception beats reality, and once the internet grabs hold of a moment, no official statement can stop it.