Trump mocked as Dozy Don after photo – White House issues scathing response

The Trump White House found itself on defense this week after a viral clip appeared to show President Donald Trump nodding off during a televised Oval Office briefing — a moment critics gleefully dubbed “Dozy Don.”

The video, which spread across social media within hours, captured Trump leaning back in his chair with his eyes closed as Dr. Mehmet Oz, his head of Medicare services, discussed a new initiative to lower the price of GLP-1 weight loss drugs. For a few seconds, Trump appeared motionless, his chin dipping as cameras rolled.

That brief lapse was all it took. Screenshots flooded X and TikTok, with captions like “The Nodfather” and “Dozy Don Strikes Again.” The memes were relentless. One user posted a photo of the moment edited in the style of The Godfather movie poster, complete with shadowy lettering and the line: “Just when I thought I was out, they put me to sleep again.”

The irony wasn’t lost on anyone: this was the same man who had spent years taunting Joe Biden as “Sleepy Joe.”

California Governor Gavin Newsom joined the pile-on almost instantly, reposting the clip with the caption, “DOZY DON IS BACK.” His communications team followed up by releasing a photo collage of Trump appearing to doze off at different events, labeling it The Nodfather Collection.

But inside the West Wing, officials were anything but amused. The White House released an unusually aggressive statement dismissing the footage as “garbage.”

Credits: TimesOfIndia

“The President was not sleeping,” the statement read. “He was listening intently throughout, engaged with Dr. Oz, and later took several questions from the press. This announcement marks a historic reduction in the cost of two life-saving drugs that help Americans struggling with diabetes, heart disease, and obesity.”

The administration accused what it called “the failing liberal media” of twisting the truth to distract from a major policy win. “This announcement will save Americans billions of dollars and countless lives,” the statement continued. “But rather than report the facts, the media chooses to obsess over a brief moment and push a nonsense narrative.”

Dr. Oz, standing beside the Resolute Desk during the event, had unveiled sweeping price cuts for GLP-1 medications — $149 a month for oral versions, $249 for injectables — a move aimed at expanding access to treatments like Wegovy and Mounjaro. The press release described it as “the biggest step in reducing drug prices in modern history.”

Still, the internet saw something else: a man appearing to drift off mid-speech. “People can sleep again,” Dr. Oz had said at one point, referring to patients breathing easier thanks to better health outcomes. Within minutes, clips of Trump’s closing eyes during that exact line were stitched into TikToks with the caption, “Mission accomplished.”

Political strategists were quick to weigh in. One Republican operative, speaking anonymously to Politico, said, “This is exactly what Democrats have been waiting for. The optics are brutal. You can’t spend years calling your opponent sleepy and then get caught snoozing in your own briefing.”

Others, however, defended Trump. Conservative radio host Dan Bongino argued on-air that the video was misleading. “He wasn’t asleep — the guy blinked slowly for three seconds and suddenly he’s narcoleptic? Give me a break,” he said.

But the mockery didn’t stop. By Monday morning, “#DozyDon” had trended in all 50 states, with comedians, late-night hosts, and even rival politicians piling on. The memes spread faster than the White House could respond.

Meanwhile, the week went from awkward to chaotic for the administration. During a separate White House event days later, an unnamed pharmaceutical executive reportedly collapsed mid-meeting. Photos showed Dr. Oz and staffers rushing to the man’s aid as Trump stood behind the desk, watching.

The image of Trump, hands on the Resolute Desk while others crouched over the fallen executive, quickly went viral as well. One Reddit comment captured the internet’s mood: “Replace the guy on the floor with America and you’ve got the perfect 2025 portrait.”

According to reports, the executive was treated immediately and later recovered. Dr. Oz issued a short statement confirming the man’s condition was stable and thanking medical staff for their quick response.

Still, the timing couldn’t have been worse. Between “Dozy Don” jokes and the dramatic collapse incident, the administration’s health week — intended to highlight new Medicare reforms — turned into a PR nightmare.

Inside sources described a tense mood in the West Wing. One aide told Axios that the communications team spent days trying to suppress the “Dozy Don” narrative, flooding media outlets with fact sheets about the drug policy. “We wanted people talking about affordable medicine,” the aide said, “not whether the President took a micro-nap.”

But by then, the jokes had taken on a life of their own. Meme accounts compared Trump’s closed eyes to everything from a charging phone to a Windows update screen. Late-night host Stephen Colbert quipped, “He’s not asleep — he’s just buffering.”

The White House kept its response aggressive. “The President’s stamina is unmatched,” said Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders. “He works harder than anyone in Washington, often sleeping less than four hours a night. The idea that he was asleep for even a second during a critical briefing is absurd.”

The administration’s allies echoed that line, pointing to Trump’s packed schedule and frequent rallies. Still, opponents saw an opening. Governor Newsom’s team reportedly plans to use the “Dozy Don” nickname in upcoming campaign ads, contrasting it with footage of Newsom’s energetic appearances.

Trump himself hasn’t directly addressed the video. At a fundraiser in Florida two nights later, he alluded to it briefly, joking, “They say I was sleeping — I was just resting my eyes while saving America trillions of dollars!” The crowd laughed, but aides later told reporters he was “furious” about the coverage.

The political fallout remains unclear. Supporters brushed off the controversy, while critics called it symbolic of a presidency running on fumes. What’s certain is that the viral image — the most powerful man in the country appearing to drift into dreamland mid-briefing — has already cemented itself as one of the defining memes of the year.

As one political commentator put it bluntly, “It’s not just that he nodded off. It’s that the man who branded his rival as ‘Sleepy Joe’ might have just earned himself a new nickname — and it’s going to stick.”

Whether it was fatigue, a bad camera angle, or an unflattering moment frozen in time, the “Dozy Don” saga underscores a brutal truth about modern politics: perception moves faster than facts. And once the internet has a story, it doesn’t matter how many statements the White House issues — it’s already written in meme form.