Story perspectives

White House Deletes Clip of Trump Dozing at NATO Summit

7/13/2026

Center

Trump Dozes

The White House removed a clip showing President Donald Trump appearing to nod off during the NATO summit in Ankara.
President Donald Trump seemed to fall asleep at the July 8, 2026 NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, described as a “power blink.”
U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Mark Rutte and Recep Tayyip Erdogan sat beside Trump.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio told House Foreign Relations Committee he never saw Trump doze.

Left

Trump Dozes

Turkey hosted the NATO summit and is the alliance’s second-largest arms producer, supplying drones, missiles and tanks to European members.
The White House removed a livestream clip that showed President Donald Trump appearing to nod off during the Ankara summit.
NATO leaders signed roughly $72 billion in arms agreements, the largest procurement round at the meeting.
Germany pledged a defense budget that will match the UK and France combined by 2030.

History

Historical Context

Founded in 1949 to deter the Soviet Union, NATO shifted after the Cold War, adding Hungary, Poland and the Czech Republic at the 1999 Washington summit. That expansion set a pattern of large-scale procurement, a trend echoed at the 2026 Ankara summit where heads of state, including the United States and Turkey, met as the alliance of 32 members prepared new defense initiatives.

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Trump Dozes

The White House removed a clip showing President Donald Trump appearing to nod off during the NATO summit in Ankara.
President Donald Trump seemed to fall asleep at the July 8, 2026 NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, described as a “power blink.”
U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Mark Rutte and Recep Tayyip Erdogan sat beside Trump.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio told House Foreign Relations Committee he never saw Trump doze.

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