Politics can be a drag, even for the president of the United States. Donald Trump is animated during rallies and has sharp-tongued attacks on reporters, but loses interest when tasked with listening to others. Ironically, the showman leans into his time in the public’s gaze, delivering a spe ctacle every chance he gets, but not even the global stage can sustain his attention for long. US President Donald Trump tried to control the moment at his golf club but all he ended up doing was drawing attention to something more disturbing in the room. (Photo by Nathan Howard/Getty Images) The president, 80, recently showed face at the 36th NATO Summit in Ankara, Turkey. Powerful leaders from the 32 member countries attended the meeting on military defense and spending. It seemed probable that Trump would be reeling with energy during the meeting of the minds, given his ongoing conflict with Iran, but that was not the case, and cameras caught multiple moments when he slipped in and out of rest. One abysmal clip showed Trump with his head slumped downward during day two of the summit on July 8. Critics widely speculated that he “passed out” during the event. The scene was unlike the countless other instances where Trump fought to stay awake with slow blinks. ‘So Petty’: Marco Rubio Savagely Roasted for Wearing Oversized Trump Gift That Had Eagle-Eye Onlookers Zooming in For a Closer Look‘Wow’: Rubio Called Trump ‘Dumb’ on the World Stage During a Live Briefing — The White House Scrambled to Delete This Video Before the Boss Saw It The U.S. president sat in the front row of the livestreamed discussion. To his right was U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer, and on his left were NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, Türkiye President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and NATO Deputy Secretary General Radmila Shekerinska, who stared in Trump’s direction. View on Threads No one attempted to intervene, although Starmer did glance at Trump.  His defenders argued that he was awake. “He’s listening and looking down at the table,” and “He is writing things down. You can see him move!” At times, Trump’s head and arms moved slightly, but the micromovements were only convincing to a few people. Detractors clawed at him with comments like “He gets so bored so fast when he is not the center of attention” and “These meetings are the things most presidents look forward to, plan for, and build lasting allies from…… For Trump, he hates these. It’s a waste of his time. He wishes he was at home watching Fox news.” IG Threads comments ranged from “Waiting for his head to drop on the table- then we can play it on loop and finally get the proof he is completely zonked!” to “He is getting paid to sleep on the job.” Others aimed at U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who sat right behind Trump. He was unable to see his boss, but people still interpreted his movements as evidence that he knew Trump was asleep. View on Threads “I think it was Rubio’s job to poke him when he started nodding off,” said one onlooker. Rubio told the House Foreign Relations Committee during a June testimony that he has never witnessed Trump fall asleep during meetings. Still, one reaction read, “Rubio can’t hide it or lie about it anymore!” A Getty photographer also captured the instant the president began to succumb to fatigue. His eyes were low and his lips pursed together, one side appearing to droop lower than the other, as he stared blankly at someone across the desk. As for his public napping, Trump has a lengthy archive, which includes dozing off during his Fourth of July fireworks show and during multiple cabinet meetings. The White House claims the “power blinks” are a listening method, not stolen winks of sleep. ‘Can’t Hide It!’: Trump’s Familiar Fade Out Strikes Again at NATO — And Shocking Footage Proves He Just Can’t Keep It Together on the World Stage ...read more read less