‘I don’t sleep on planes,’ Trump reveals — what keeps him awake on Air Force One?
US President Donald Trump revealed that he never sleeps on Air Force One during the long flights but is interested in other things that keep him awake.
During a speech at the National Breakfast Prayer on Thursday, Trump said that he never sleeps, instead he looks out of the window for threats.
"“You can go and sleep. We have quarters prepared for you. I said: ‘No no, I don't have to sleep. I've been on a plane sleeping for twenty… I mean, I sleep on the plane.’ I don't sleep on planes. I don't like sleeping on planes," Trump said.
Instead, he said, “I like looking out the window for missiles and enemies actually,” as the crowd laughed.
Trump previously spoke about sleeping little each day. During his 2016 campaign, the Republican presidential candidate said, “You know, I’m not a big sleeper, I like three hours, four hours, I toss, I turn, I beep-de-beep, I want to find out what’s going on,” as HuffPost reported at the time.
In 2019, a White House official told CNN that travelling with the President is “like being held captive.”
The official told the outlet that instead of getting some sleep, the President would “hold court for hours on end” and chitchat about non-govt-related topics, including quizzing staffers on sports.
Recently, Trump’s secretary of state said he found a way to sleep on Air Force One by hiding from the President.
Marco Rubio told New York magazine in an article published in January that he took secret naps on long flights.
"There’s an office with two couches, and I usually want to sleep on one of those two couches,” Rubio, the publication, said.
“But what I do is I cocoon myself in a blanket," he added. "I cover my head. I look like a mummy."
“And I do that because I know that at some point on the flight, [Trump is] going to emerge from the cabin and start prowling the hallways to see who is awake,” Rubio said as per People.
Rubio told the magazine that during long overseas flights he needed his rest, but Trump never seemed to nap.
He said he would rather Trump assumed a staffer was asleep than his secretary of state, adding that he did not want the President to think, “Oh, this guy is weak.”
"“You can go and sleep. We have quarters prepared for you. I said: ‘No no, I don't have to sleep. I've been on a plane sleeping for twenty… I mean, I sleep on the plane.’ I don't sleep on planes. I don't like sleeping on planes," Trump said.
Instead, he said, “I like looking out the window for missiles and enemies actually,” as the crowd laughed.
Trump previously spoke about sleeping little each day. During his 2016 campaign, the Republican presidential candidate said, “You know, I’m not a big sleeper, I like three hours, four hours, I toss, I turn, I beep-de-beep, I want to find out what’s going on,” as HuffPost reported at the time.
In 2019, a White House official told CNN that travelling with the President is “like being held captive.”
The official told the outlet that instead of getting some sleep, the President would “hold court for hours on end” and chitchat about non-govt-related topics, including quizzing staffers on sports.
Recently, Trump’s secretary of state said he found a way to sleep on Air Force One by hiding from the President.
Marco Rubio told New York magazine in an article published in January that he took secret naps on long flights.
"There’s an office with two couches, and I usually want to sleep on one of those two couches,” Rubio, the publication, said.
“But what I do is I cocoon myself in a blanket," he added. "I cover my head. I look like a mummy."
“And I do that because I know that at some point on the flight, [Trump is] going to emerge from the cabin and start prowling the hallways to see who is awake,” Rubio said as per People.
Rubio told the magazine that during long overseas flights he needed his rest, but Trump never seemed to nap.
He said he would rather Trump assumed a staffer was asleep than his secretary of state, adding that he did not want the President to think, “Oh, this guy is weak.”
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