A House hearing took a sharp turn after a lawmaker questioned whether Donald Trump had ever struggled to stay awake during important meetings, including classified settings. The exchange quickly moved from a question about the president’s energy and focus to a direct confrontation over truthfulness, foreign policy, and how officials describe what they have seen behind closed doors.

The lawmaker pressed Secretary Marco Rubio on whether he had ever witnessed Trump falling asleep or having difficulty staying awake during classified meetings. Rubio immediately rejected the premise, saying he had never been in a meeting where that happened and pushing back against the examples being shown.

The exchange escalated when the lawmaker accused Rubio of “lying consistently to Congress” and said another video would be shown. That moment set up Rubio’s longer response, where he dismissed the accusation as “absurd and ridiculous” and questioned why the Foreign Affairs Committee was spending time on the issue during what he described as an important moment for American foreign policy.

Rubio then shifted the focus away from the claim and toward his own direct experience with Trump. He argued that Trump is not someone who lacks energy, saying he had seen the president work long hours and remain active throughout the day and night. Rubio said he had spoken with him at all hours and had personally observed him during foreign trips.

In one of the more striking parts of the response, Rubio described Trump as someone who “literally doesn’t sleep,” saying that on flights, others would be sleeping while Trump remained awake and looked for people to talk to. Rubio said viewers may disagree with Trump’s policies or decisions, but insisted that, based on what he sees daily, Trump is not cognitively impaired or lacking stamina.

The moment is likely to draw reaction from both sides. Critics may focus on the original question and the accusation that Rubio avoided acknowledging difficult facts. Supporters may point to Rubio’s answer as a direct rejection of a claim he says does not match his personal experience.

What made the exchange stand out was not only the question itself, but how quickly the room shifted from a policy hearing into a personal and political clash over the president’s fitness, energy, and public image.

The full response continues in the video below.