Rubio calls Trump fitness questions 'absurd' before Congress

Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday dismissed video evidence suggesting President Trump dozed off during Cabinet meetings as "absurd and ridiculous," delivering a pointed defense of the 79-year-old president before the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

The exchange comes as a Washington Post/ABC News/Ipsos poll found 59 percent of Americans believe Trump lacks the mental capacity to lead — a debate that carries weight for Orange County's Korean-American community, which closely monitors U.S. foreign policy direction under Rubio's leadership.

Rubio was responding to video clips aired during the hearing that appeared to show Trump with eyes closed during Cabinet sessions. "I don't even know how to respond to that, other than to tell you that it's absurd and ridiculous," Rubio said in testimony before the committee, according to The Korea Times, which reported on the Wednesday hearing.

The secretary went further in defending the president's cognitive sharpness. "You may not like his policies, you may not like the decisions he's made. But I assure you, this is not a president that sleeps or is cognitively impaired in any way, shape, or form. And in fact is incredibly active, much more so in many cases than much younger people that are around him. Those are facts," he said in congressional testimony, The Korea Times reported.

Describing his own access to the president, Rubio told the committee, "I talk to him at all hours of the day and night. He works inhumane hours," according to The Korea Times.

A Washington Post/ABC News/Ipsos poll found 59 percent of respondents questioned Trump's mental capacity to lead, while 55 percent doubted his physical health. Trump, who turns 80 on June 14, received a clean bill of health following his most recent check-up, though his doctors recommended weight loss, The Korea Times reported.

The fitness debate echoes the scrutiny that contributed to former President Joe Biden's decision to exit the 2024 presidential race. Trump has maintained a lighter public schedule in recent months compared to the early weeks of his second term.

Trump has not publicly addressed the fitness questions raised during Wednesday's hearing. With his 80th birthday on June 14, public attention to his health and stamina is unlikely to fade.