Donald Trump Doesn't Like To Sleep On Planes For A (Literally) Unbelievable Reason

Donald Trump refuses to get some shuteye while flying, regardless of how long the flight is. When discussing this habit, he gave a very Trumpian answer that, like most of his statements, few people took at face value. "I don't like sleeping on planes. I like looking out the window, watching for missiles and enemies, actually," the president said at the National Prayer Breakfast in February 2026, sparking uncomfortable laughter from the crowd. He may have used humor and given a tongue-in-cheek reason, but his reluctance to sleep on planes is real.

Aides have claimed that Trump prevents his advisers from sleeping aboard Air Force One and mocks the ones who do fall asleep, according to The Wall Street Journal's report from January 2026. His lower-level advisers aren't the only ones who feel compelled to stay up all night — or risk being made fun of — on long flights shared with the president. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has gone to great lengths to get rest on international flights while avoiding Trump's judgmental remarks. "What I do is I cocoon myself in a blanket. I cover my head. I look like a mummy," he told New York Magazine in January 2026.

Rubio does this in hopes of hiding his identity whenever the president inevitably emerges from his cabin to check who's asleep and who's awake. "I want him to think it's a staffer who fell asleep. I don't want him to see his secretary of State sleeping on a couch and think, 'Oh, this guy is weak,'" Rubio said. As it turns out, Trump seems to feel morally superior for not needing much sleep.

If Donald Trump's attitude towards his flight mates' sleep aboard Air Force One sounds like he equates insomnia with moral superiority, it's because he does. Remaining awake throughout the night is somehow a badge of honor for his allies, too. Aside from Marco Rubio, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard has raved about Trump's sleeping habits (or lack thereof), telling Fox News in October 2025, "He takes these long trips, long flights, doesn't sleep, works throughout the flight, hits the ground running, and gets down to business." In fact, the president has a similar approach to all sleep.

Trump has some absurd sleeping habits, and he's proud of them. Just like with Trump's questionable eating habits, the president wears his circadian rhythm on his sleeve, boasting about it as if it were a testament to his work ethic. "I am working long hours, long hours, and right up till 12:00 a.m. or 1:00 a.m.," he said on "The O'Reilly Factor" in 2017 (via ABC News). Even though that's the message he wants to convey, Trump's unhealthy sleeping habits have been increasingly questioned, as he seems to struggle staying awake during the actual day. He's been seen dozing off at public appearances too many times to count.

Trump continues to struggle to stay awake as this interminable "Board of Peace" meeting drags on. We're two and a half hours into this! pic.twitter.com/tTeqEdv5l0

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) February 19, 2026

During a meeting of the so-called Board of Peace for Gaza, Trump went viral for seemingly falling asleep while others spoke (seen above). This has given rise to questions about Trump's mental prowess and ability to lead the country. "Giving away 10 billion of our tax money then isn't even fit enough to be awake at a global event," one person complained on X, formerly Twitter. However, Rubio defended him. "It's a listening mechanism," the secretary of state claimed in the aforementioned New York magazine interview. It's certainly a mechanism of something.