FACT CHECK: Threads Post Falsely Claims Trump Fell Asleep At The 2017 NATO Summit
A screenshot of a tweet shared on Threads claims that 2024 Republican nominee and former President Donald Trump fell asleep at the 2017 North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit.
Post by @cujos_momView on Threads
Verdict: False
The claim is false. Trump is not asleep but looking down in the original image, which is featured in a slideshow published by Yahoo News in May 2017.
Fact Check:
Trump is set to deliver remarks Wednesday on the economy in North Carolina, according to ABC News. Included in Trump’s economic platform for his 2024 campaign are policies that would “eliminate taxes on tip wages and Social Security for seniors,” the outlet reported.
The Threads post, which has garnered over 900 likes as of writing, claims Trump fell asleep during the 2017 NATO Summit. “Remember that time when Trump fell asleep at the 2017 Nato [sic] summit? That was embarrassing,” the text of the tweet shared via the Threads post reads. The tweet features a photo of Trump from the summit in which he appears to be asleep. The post was originally shared on X, the social media platform previously called Twitter, back in April 2024.
The claim is false. Trump is not asleep but looking down in the original image. The image is featured in a slideshow published by Yahoo News in May 2017 highlighting the former Republican President’s “awkward moments” at the NATO summit.
The image, which appears as the eleventh slide in the 16-image series, bears the following caption: “North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg (L) chats with US President Donald J. Trump (R), who looks down during the inauguration ceremony of the new NATO Headquarters in Brussels, Belgium on May 25, 2017.” The caption also lists “Robert Ghement/EPA” as the credit for the image.
Likewise, Check Your Fact found no credible news reports to support the claim. Actually, the opposite is true. On August 9, PolitiFact reported the claim was false. The outlet indicated Trump had not fallen asleep at the summit, citing the same Yahoo News slideshow as well as video of the event shared on YouTube. (RELATED: Viral Image Of Donald Trump’s Colorado State Capitol Portrait Has Been Edited)
In addition, Trump has not referenced the claim on his official website, his verified social media accounts, or his TRUTH Social account.
Check Your Fact has contacted a Trump spokesperson for comment.
