Trump campaign vehemently denies allegation that former president dozed off in court

Former President Donald Trump’s alleged courtroom nap during his historic criminal trial in New York has sparked a frenzy of social media jokes and nicknames, despite his campaign’s vehement denial of the incident.

During the first day of jury selection, court reporters observed Mr. Trump struggling to keep his eyes open, with some claiming he had actually fallen asleep. This led to the creation of the nickname “Sleepy Don” for the 77-year-old former president.

While the Trump campaign dismissed the reports as “100% Fake News,” President Joe Biden’s team and social media users seized the opportunity to mock Mr. Trump. The Biden-Harris campaign retweeted a video of a journalist describing the alleged nap, and others speculated about sedation and nap time interruptions.

The Lincoln Project, an anti-Trump Super PAC, joked that Mr. Trump had worn himself out with his late-night Truth Social rants, leading to the hashtag #SleepyDon trending on social media.

Despite the online ridicule, jury selection will continue on Tuesday morning as Mr. Trump faces 34 felony counts related to hush money payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels. This trial marks the first-ever criminal trial of a sitting or former president, adding to the historic significance of the proceedings.