Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent arrived at the Republican Party’s Trumpapalooza convention in Dallas this week ready to perform the usual tribute act.

His set list revived familiar grievances from the opening months of President Donald Trump’s second administration, including the autopen and another tired attack on “Sleepy” Joe Biden.

“In 15 short months, we’ve gone from autopen to overdrive, from a president who couldn’t stay awake to a president who refuses to sleep,” Bessent said.

It was the kind of chest pounding declaration that plays beautifully before a crowd committed to applauding first and checking the evidence never.

Bessent seemed to be suggesting that Trump simply does not sleep, presumably because he is too busy governing at maximum velocity.

That would certainly be an impressive feat for any human being, especially one whose public schedule and frequent daytime eye closures keep providing material for a very different story.

Trump does appear energetic when firing off furious Truth Social posts during the small hours of the morning.

Whether those digital eruptions represent tireless presidential leadership or an inability to put down the phone is a question Bessent wisely left outside the convention hall.

The problem with declaring that Trump refuses to sleep is that cameras exist.

On Friday, during an event marking the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks, Trump was seen with his eyes closed, looking considerably less like a commander operating in overdrive and more like someone stealing a quiet moment.

Perhaps Trump was reflecting deeply on the solemn occasion. Perhaps he was concentrating with such extraordinary intensity that keeping his eyes open became an unnecessary burden, though viewers familiar with his previous public appearances might recognize the pose for less heroic reasons.

This was hardly the first time Trump appeared to take a brief vacation from visible consciousness.

During his expensive and unwanted visit to New York City for the NBA Finals, cameras at Madison Square Garden captured him looking like the evening had become considerably more soothing than advertised.

That appearance produced the predictable flood of online jokes, but it also complicated the Republican obsession with portraying Trump as an unstoppable engine.

A political brand built around dominance and stamina becomes awkward when its star attraction repeatedly looks ready for a pillow.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio has also joined the effort to protect the presidential wakefulness mythology.

During a hearing, Rubio insisted that he had never seen Trump fall asleep in any meeting he attended, which may say more about Rubio’s eagerness to satisfy the boss than Trump’s sleeping habits.

To be fair, staying awake while Rubio speaks could qualify as an endurance achievement. His familiar blend of petulance, talking points, and obedient praise can make even a meeting about global diplomacy feel like an especially punishing airport delay.

Interior Secretary Doug Burgum offers another challenge to anyone attempting to remain alert through an administration gathering.

Listening to Burgum deliver polished nonsense with the enthusiasm of a corporate presentation could make a triple espresso reconsider its career choices.

Then there is Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., whose vaccine misinformation has turned public health communication into a hazardous spectacle.

Trump may close his eyes during those discussions simply because watching his own administration dismantle basic scientific credibility is exhausting work.

Bessent’s claim fits a broader pattern inside Trump’s orbit, where obvious exaggeration is treated as loyalty and repetition is expected to replace proof.

The president is not merely active in this telling, he is superhuman, sleepless, endlessly productive, and somehow never responsible for the chaos unfolding around him.

Reality keeps interrupting the performance. Trump has been filmed appearing to nod off or rest his eyes in public settings, while his aides and Cabinet officials keep insisting that everyone should ignore what they can plainly see.

Maybe Bessent is technically correct and Trump never sleeps at all. Maybe he simply closes his eyes from time to time, offering the country a rare and merciful pause from the grievances, insults, misinformation, and endless noise that define his presidency.

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