Multiple people on social media think Donald Trump may have fallen asleep at the U.S. Open men’s final on Sunday. Newsweek has broken down what we know.
The image being circulated appears to come from a Getty photo showing the President sitting next to U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff.
It is not clear how long Trump had his eyes closed, meaning he may have been blinking when that photo was taken.
Newsweek has contacted the White House, via email, for comment.
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Why It Matters
Widely shared images of the president appearing drowsy have generated fresh public discussion about his health and public comportment.
It comes after Trump’s schedule went uncharacteristically quiet over the Labor Day weekend, which sparked memes and social media rumors falsely claiming that Trump had died or was suffering from major health issues—before the president posted on Truth Social Sunday that he “never felt better.”
What To Know
Several users on X posted a version of the Getty image with captions saying Trump had fallen asleep, including the account @DJpolitical7, who describes herself as “American for a Trump-less government.”
“The lunatic buffoon took a nap between boos at the US Open,” she said.
A Canadian account (@BagdMilkSoWhat), who has “#VoteBlue” in his bio, posted a zoomed-in version of the photo with the caption: “Here’s a real picture of trump actually asleep at this weeks US Open,” with a laughing emoji.
Writer Jeff Tiedrich (@itsJeffTiedrich), who often criticizes Trump and the Republicans to his one million followers, wrote in his Substack, Everyone is entitled to my own opinion: “Oh dear, the narcoleptic old fart factory has fallen fast asleep, and is filling Arthur Ashe Stadium with the pungent aroma of ass music.”
The Getty image being shared with these posts is captioned: “New York, New York — September 7, 2025: (L–R) U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, U.S. President Donald Trump, Erin Elmore, and White House deputy chief of staff Dan Scavino watch the U.S. Open men’s singles final at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York City. President Trump is attending the U.S. Open men’s singles final between Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner.”
Trump went to the Arthur Ashe Stadium on Sunday. He was met with mixed reactions from the crowd, with reports of some members cheering, and others loudly booing.
Enhanced security measures for the presidential visit resulted in a 30-minute delay to the match start time and created delays for spectators attempting to enter the stadium.
The United States Tennis Association (USTA) took the unusual step of issuing guidance to broadcasters regarding coverage of Trump’s attendance.
According to a memo first obtained by tennis journalist Ben Rothenberg’s Substack publication “Bounces,” organizers specifically requested that networks “refrain from showcasing any disruptions or reactions in response to the President’s attendance in any capacity.”
The directive extends to electronic news gathering coverage beyond the official broadcast feeds.
In a statement sent to Newsweek via email, a spokesperson for the USTA said “we regularly ask our broadcasters to refrain from showcasing off-court disruptions.”
What People Are Saying
Carlos Alcaraz, responding to a question from a journalist about Trump attending: “It is a privilege for the tournaments, having a president…to support the tournaments, to support tennis, to support the match, for me playing in front of him, so er, to be honest I will try not to be focused, I will try not to think about it, I don’t want myself to be nervous because of it…It’s great for tennis to have the president into the final.”
Conservative commentator Nick Sortor, who has more than 1.1 million followers on X, wrote on the platform: “The paid-off Democrat ‘influencers’ are trying to make you believe the crowd at the U.S. Open was anti-Trump. Trump proved them wrong, and even walked out and SIGNED HATS for screaming fans. Another leftist narrative destroyed!”
Republicans Against Trump’s gave this reaction on X to the USTA’s guidance: “The US Open sent an email to broadcasters instructing them to censor any crowd reactions or protests during Trump’s appearance. Trump is about to face the loudest boos of his life.”
What Happens Next
Whether the circulated images will prompt official comment from the White House remains to be seen. It’s very hard to tell if the president was actually asleep, at least from the image alone.
