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Viral image
Viral image
stated on August 6, 2024 in a Threads post:

Photo shows former President Donald Trump “asleep at the 2017 NATO summit.”

False

You can sleep on this claim that former President Donald Trump dozed at the 2017 NATO summit

If your time is short

  • This photo’s official caption says former President Donald Trump was looking down, not sleeping. 

See the sources for this fact-check

An old photo of former President Donald Trump, sitting with his head bowed, is being shared anew on social media and presented as evidence that he was caught sleeping at a 2017 NATO summit in Brussels, Belgium. 

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, who was seated next to Trump, is turned toward the then-president in the image. 

“Remember that time when Trump fell asleep at the 2017 NATO summit? That was embarrassing,” an Aug. 6 Threads post said.

But the official caption of the photo, taken by photographer Robert Ghement, tells a different story. 

This post was flagged as part of Meta’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Meta, which owns Facebook, Instagram and Threads.)

Ghement took the photo in May 2017 at what was then the new NATO headquarters in Belgium. 

The photo’s caption says Stoltenberg “chats with US President Donald J. Trump … who looks down during the inauguration ceremony of the new NATO headquarters in Brussels, Belgium.” 

We reviewed video footage of the ceremony, during which Stoltenberg gave a speech, and saw no evidence that Trump fell asleep. Trump was recorded looking at his phone, sitting as he appears in Ghement’s photo and with his arms crossed. But not snoozing. 

We looked for but found no credible evidence, such as news stories or footage, showing Trump asleep.

We rate claims this photo shows Trump sleeping at the 2017 NATO summit False.

 
Our Sources

You can sleep on this claim that former President Donald Trump dozed at the 2017 NATO summit

Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
stated on January 7, 2026 a press briefing

stated on January 14, 2026 a statement

Social Media
stated on February 14, 2026 social media posts



stated on January 20, 2026 an op-ed


Donald Trump
stated on February 3, 2026 remarks in the Oval Office


Social Media
stated on February 8, 2026 social media posts





Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
stated on stated on November 17, 2025 in remarks at George Washington University:

Donald Trump
stated on February 2, 2026 an interview with Dan Bongino