He still mocks his predecessor as "Sleepy Joe" Biden. But it was Donald Trump who seemed to be fighting to stay awake at a cabinet meeting.

The 79-year-old, the oldest man to be elected US president, repeatedly had his eyes closed as his top team took turns praising his leadership in front of the cameras.

The incident put the Republican billionaire's health under fresh scrutiny, even as he and his aides were pushing back against earlier speculation on the issue.

The White House strongly rejected any suggestion that Trump was snoozing on Tuesday.

"President Trump was listening attentively and running the entire three-hour marathon cabinet meeting," Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement to AFP on Wednesday.

Leavitt highlighted Trump's "amazing" answer at the end of the me

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