Trump fawns over his own ‘beautiful blue eyes’ as he denies falling asleep at trial

The former president claimed that, while his eyes may be closed on occasion, he is listening ‘intensely’ and taking it ‘ALL in!’ in a self-complimentary social media post

Donald Trump has hit back at reports that he has dozed off during his high-profile criminal trial in New York, claiming that at times he simply closes his “beautiful blue eyes”.

The former president insisted that, while his eyes may be closed on occasion, he is listening “intensely” and taking it “ALL in!” in a self-complimentary social media post on Truth Social on Wednesday.

It comes following several reports from journalists inside the courtroom, including a reporter from The Independent, present throughout proceedings, that Mr Trump fell asleep during the first day of his historic trial in Manhattan – which is now in its third week.

The alleged slumber was also captured in a court sketch of the weary former president, which showed him with his eyes closed and his head tilted to the side.

“Contrary to the FAKE NEWS MEDIA, I don’t fall asleep during the Crooked DA’s Witch Hunt, especially not today. I simply close my beautiful blue eyes, sometimes, listen intensely, and take it ALL in!!!” Mr Trump wrote on 2 May.

His furious denial echoes that of his campaign, who previously blasted the claims in a statement to The Independent as “100% Fake News coming from ‘journalists’ who weren’t even in the courtroom.”

Despite this, the observations quickly prompted an onslaught of nicknames and jokes on social media, including the moniker “Sleepy Don” and “Don Snoreleone”.

The former refers to Mr Trump’s penchant for referring to his political rival President Joe Biden as “Sleepy Joe” on the campaign trail. The latter is a reference to fictional mafia boss Don Corleone in the hit film series The Godfather.

Several US late-night TV hosts have also ridiculed the former president’s apparent inability to keep his eyes open during proceedings.

“He was sharp, focused ― and he fell asleep again,” The Late Show host Stephen Colbert said in response to the courtroom sketch.

A previous courtroom sketch appeared to show Mr Trump dozing off during proceedings in Manhattan (REUTERS)

Comedian Jimmy Fallon, host of The Tonight Show suggested that Mr Trump wears a shock collar to keep him awake. “In an effort to stop Trump from falling asleep in court, his lawyers have been giving him a number of different devices”, he said.

“So far, the only thing that can keep him awake is an iPad playing Bluey.”

Fallon then cut to a spoof commercial for a “Trump Shock Collar”, which the ad described as: “The world’s first human shock collar disguised as a red neck tie!”

Mr Trump faces 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in a bid to cover up hush money payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels. He allegedly paid Ms Daniels $130,000 in exchange for her silence over a 2006 affair, though he pleaded not guilty to all charges.

It is the first-ever criminal trial of a sitting or former president.