Trump Appears to Drift Off During Marijuana Reclassification Ceremony in the Oval Office

While signing a bill to reclassify the status of marijuana on Thursday, Donald Trump struggled to stay awake in the Oval Office. The president sat at the Resolute Desk with medical experts and veterans behind him, eyes drooping as aides and speakers described the plan. Cameras caught the moments and the room shifted between applause and awkward silence.

The order moves marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III at the federal level, a big change that aims to make medical studies easier and ease some rules for patients and companies. It does not legalize recreational use across the nation, but it does clear a path for more government funded research and for some insurance and tax changes.

Trump framed the action as a response to calls from people in pain and from doctors who want more data. “We have people begging for me to do this. People that are in great pain,” he said as officials looked on. The White House also unveiled a Medicare pilot program that could expand legal access to hemp based CBD for older Americans with a doctor note.

Not everyone was on the same page. Conservative lawmakers warned against moving marijuana off the strictest list now, saying the shift sends mixed signals in the fight against hard drugs. Former drug agents and some Republican senators called the step inconsistent with the White House tough on drugs message.

That political tug of war was easy to miss for a few seconds of the ceremony. Video clips showed Trump nodding and then straightening as speakers spoke. Reporters in the room asked staff for comment and the White House later pushed back, saying he was not asleep but closing his eyes briefly. The moment still took over social feeds.

If the move sounds sudden, it was not entirely without warning. The order follows a health review and months of debate about the drug schedule and about how to treat CBD and hemp products under federal law. Lawmakers and industry groups have pushed for clarity on taxes, banking and research for years.

Investors watched closely. Shares of some cannabis companies and related funds moved after the announcement as traders tried to judge what this will mean for business. Analysts said the order helps clinical studies and banking but stops short of full legal and market clarity. That left some traders and executives scratching their heads.

Back in the Oval Office the president tried to bring the focus back to patients. He said the science and the stories he had heard made the case for change and urged regulators to move fast. “The facts compel” action, he told the room, asking agencies to speed reviews and to work with Congress.

Still, the event underscored a larger point. A single image can bend the conversation. Policy details matter but so does optics. For a day, debate over medical access and federal drug law shared space with talk about a president who has been seen nodding off at public events this year.

Clips from the Oval Office spread quickly on X, where users paid less attention to drug policy and more attention to the president struggling to stay awake.

Featured image via X screengrab