Donald Trump’s penchant for Diet Coke may explain why he appeared to fall asleep in court this week, a sleep expert has told DailyMail.com.
The former president is reported to have nodded off several times during jury selection in his hush money criminal trial in NYC on Monday.
His team vehemently denies the claims, saying his eyes may have been closed because ‘he reads a lot’, but an expert has pointed to his diet as a possible reason.
Dr Chris Winter, a neurologist from Virginia said Trump may have been struggling due to a lack of caffeine – because he didn’t have access to his beloved Diet Cokes.
Trump is said to drink up to 12 cans of the stuff every day – which racks up about as much caffeine as four 12-ounce cups of coffee.
Donald Trump reportedly drinks 12 Diet Cokes a day, equating to more than 500 miligrams of caffeine
A sketch by veteran courtroom artist Jane Rosenberg showed Trump had nodded off in his chair. Other journalists in the courtroom backed up Maggie Haberman’s earlier reporting that the former president had nodded off
Dr Winter added that Mr Trump’s notoriously bad diet filled with processed and fast foods could also lead to midday slumps in energy.
Mr Trump also boasts about being able to conduct business having slept only four or five hours per night, claiming it has helped his career.
Trump – who often refers to President Biden as ‘Sleepy Joe’ – appeared fatigued in court and was seen by several reporters to have dozed off in his chair at the start of his criminal trial, where he faces 34 felony counts relating to falsifying business records to cover up a dalliance with a porn star.
After the lunch break, he again closed his eyes several times and appeared to catch himself falling asleep, stiffening his posture.
Dr Winter said the sudden lack of Diet Cokes ‘could be a contributor.’
‘Especially if he uses (soda to) compensate for inadequate or dysfunctional sleep. Plus, inadequate sleep makes us crave sugar.’
Trump’s diet is largely made up of unhealthy foods which could lead to a sharp crash in energy shortly after eating
Trump’s love of diet soda is well known and so strong that he reportedly installed a button on the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office to summon one at will.
In 2017, the Associated Press reported that, upon pressing the button built into a polished wood box about the size of a tissue package, ‘A White House butler walked in with a single glass of Diet Coke on a silver tray.’
While no longer in the White House, Trump is said to receive a steady stream of sodas in the comfort of his home base, Mar-A-Lago.
A single 12-ounce can of Diet Coke packs 46mg of caffeine, roughly the equivalent of one shot of espresso.
From 9 am until a break for lunch, Mr Trump has to fall back on whatever caffeine he consumed before walking through the courtroom doors to keep himself alert.
Poor sleep coupled with a caffeine deficit and a high-fat diet of fast food is a recipe for a crash in energy.
Dr Winter added: ‘Given his age, stress, taste for fast food, disinterest in exercise, I think his sleepiness could absolutely be related to other underlying health issues. Cardiac, cognitive, etc., all possibilities. Hard to say without access to his medical records.’
Mr Trump’s lawyer Alina Habba called reports that he fell asleep ‘a remarkable story at best’ and said his eyes may have been closed because ‘he reads a lot’.
Ms Habba said: ‘If anything, he’s probably brutally bored. I mean it’s painful they make him sit there through jury selection… but no, you know, I’ve heard that report; it’s unlikely, I know him; I sat through trial after trial with him that never happens.’
President Biden, for his part, is no stranger to dozing off at inopportune times, including during opening speeches at the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow in 2021.
