JD Vance has revealed Donald Trump’s extreme nocturnal demands for White House staff traveling with him.
The vice president, 41, and the president, 79, do not fly together to minimize the risk of an accident that could incapacitate both of them.
Speaking on Hannity on Thursday, Vance said other members of the Trump administration are jealous of the specific travel arrangements exclusive to his job.
“They are always like, ‘You’re so lucky because if we go on a 20-hour trip somewhere, he does not sleep the entire time,’” Vance said, without naming his colleagues.
“And of course if he’s not sleeping, if he’s working, he expects everybody else to be working too.”
MAGA-friendly Fox News host Sean Hannity added his own memories of going on a destination golf trip with Trump.
“Seventeen hours there, 17 hours back, and he’s awake the whole time,” Hannity bragged. “And he expects you to be awake!”
Last month, Katie Miller, wife of White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller, said on The Ingraham Angle, “The president doesn’t sleep, so why does [Stephen] need to?”
Host Laura Ingraham added, “Yeah, exactly. He just stands over him on Air Force One and says, ‘Stephen, are you awake?’ ‘Why would I be awake, sir? I’m not, it’s the middle of the night.’”
Miller’s revelation followed Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard calling Trump “absolutely tireless” last month.
“He goes on these long trips, these long plane rides, doesn’t sleep, he’s working throughout those flights, hits the ground running and gets directly to business,” Gabbard said on Jesse Watters Primetime.
Later in the same Hannity episode, the host asked Attorney General Pam Bondi about “everybody in the Trump administration working 40-hour days.”
“We can’t keep up with the president,” Bondi said. “We’re all trying to keep up with Donald Trump. It’s a wonderful thing.”
During his friendly Fox News interview, Vance told Hannity that Trump’s energy is “off the charts.”
“You gotta have that level of energy to do this job successfully,” the VP said.
“Agree or disagree with President Trump about a given issue, every Democrat and Republican would recognize that this is a guy that has the energy to do the job. That’s a rare thing, but that’s who you should be electing as a president, somebody who has the energy for it.”
Despite Vance’s claims, this month Trump was caught with his eyes shut during his administration’s announcement about reduced prices for certain weight loss drugs for Medicare and Medicaid recipients.
That led to California Gov. Gavin Newsom calling him “Dozy Don” and christening him “The Nodfather.”
In one of the only slightly difficult questions during the Hannity interview, the Fox News host asked Vance if he ever had “quiet moments” where he considered what would happen if Trump passed away and he became president automatically.
“Honestly, I try not to,” Vance said. “One, I serve under Donald Trump who is very healthy. If I served under Joe Biden, I’d probably be worried every minute of every day that he would croak and that I’d have to become president. I would never be able to sleep, I’d have my cellphone as loud as possible!”
The VP insisted Trump is “extremely healthy.”
But science may not agree with the VP. The Cleveland Clinic says that most adults need between seven and nine hours sleep a night to function, with failure to get enough sleep resulting in the accumulation of toxins in the brain.
These toxins can eventually lead to Alzheimer’s disease, obesity, diabetes, and high blood pressure, among other things.
The clinic also recommends practicing good “sleep hygiene” by keeping consistent sleeping and waking times, which the president fails to do with his constant globe-trotting.
That drive-by didn’t pass Newsom by, with the governor posting an unflattering photo of Trump while sharing footage of Vance answering the question.
Vance told Hannity he tried not to think about Trump not being around.
“Obviously that’s part of the job, you have to be ready if tragedy strikes but the thing I try to be as much of a force multiplier for the president and the whole administration,” Vance said.
“If the president needs to talk to 10 people in Congress, he can only make five phone calls, I can make the other five.”
Trump’s health has been in question this year, including frequent bruising on his hand, which he attempts to cover with makeup, including at his appearance at the White House on Thursday.
The White House revealed Trump was diagnosed with chronic venous insufficiency after his swollen ankles had become a talking point. The condition is common in older people and is considered largely benign.
