USA · updated 1h ago · 2 min read
Videos Show Trump Falling Asleep During Sept. 11 Memorial Remarks by Pete Hegseth at Pentagon
Trump nodded off during reading of 9/11 victims at the Pentagon memorial. Videos and photos spread online, sparking widespread criticism and controversy.
16 outlets, one story, no spin found.
7 of 8 outlets skipped it: a $100m visitor education centre broke ground at the Pentagon memorial.
The Guardian was read line by line by the Watchdog: 2.6. See the score →
16outlets compared
The Daily Beast stresses Trump dozing while The New Voice of Ukraine stresses the White House denial.
Pentagon ceremony controversy
U.S. President Donald Trump attended a Sept. 11 memorial ceremony at the Pentagon marking the 25th anniversary of the attacks, where social media users circulated videos and photos saying he looked tired and had closed his eyes during remarks by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
“The White House denied the claims, saying Trump had “respectfully listened” during the ceremony”
The White House denied the claims, with White House spokesperson Davis Ingle saying, "claims that the president had been asleep were false" and that Trump had "respectfully listened" during the ceremony.
The New Voice of Ukraine said posts began appearing suggesting Trump had fallen asleep, including one saying he “couldn’t keep his eyes open.”
The Daily Beast described Trump as struggling to keep his eyes open as the names of victims were read, and it quoted a viral post reading, "A Sleepy Donald Trump has decided to take a nap at the Pentagon Ceremony."
War on Iran link
At the Pentagon ceremony, Donald Trump used remarks to defend the U.S.-Israel war on Iran and to suggest the conflict was part of the legacy of the worst terrorist attack in US history.
The Guardian reported that Trump said at the Pentagon, "We salute the service members working right now to ensure the world’s number one sponsor of terror, the Islamic Republic of Iran, will never ever have a nuclear weapon."
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth also tied the memorial to the Iran campaign, telling the audience, "We’re still sending terrorists where they belong – to hell," and adding, "and tankers to the bottom of the ocean where they belong."
The Hill said the Pentagon event was scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. EDT and that Trump would be joined by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and first lady Melania Trump.
Memorial scale and next steps
The commemorations took place across New York, Shanksville, Pennsylvania, and at the Pentagon, with NBC News saying ceremonies marked the nearly 3,000 lives lost in the attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.
“A $100 million visitor center breaks ground today at the Pentagon’s 9/11 memorial”
ARLnow said a $100 million visitor center broke ground at the Pentagon’s 9/11 memorial, with the ceremony beginning at 11 a.m. at the National 9/11 Pentagon Memorial.
ARLnow reported that the memorial stays under the Department of War, with the Pentagon Memorial Fund supporting it, and it quoted Joe Kornhoff saying, "This investment helps ensure that the National 9/11 Pentagon Memorial remains a place where the 184 lives taken here are remembered".
The Hill framed the Pentagon portion as part of a broader schedule that included a wreath-laying ceremony, while also stating that a total of 2,977 people died in the incidents and that 184 people died at the Pentagon after American Airlines Flight 77 crashed into the Defense Department headquarters.