Fears have been raised that Donald Trump’s unhinged 1am social media rants and lack of sleep are causing a “sleep debt” that triggers cognitive decline and erratic judgment
Donald Trump’s inner circle is reportedly bracing for the witching hour as the exact time he goes on unhinged rants online has been revealed. And it has sparked fresh fears over his sleep-deprived health.
White House observers claim that when the sun goes down, the unfiltered Trump comes out to play. With no-one around to distract or interrupt him, the 79-year-old frequently takes to Truth Social in the dead of night to let rip in “unshackled” rants.
Insiders have identified the danger zone as the hours following dinner. While Melania Trump reportedly retires to her separate sleeping quarters, the Orange Manbaby stays glued to his phone.
It comes after Trump posted a bizarre AI-generated image portraying himself as Jesus. He later deleted it and insisted it was meant to show him as a “doctor”.
Staff and media have become accustomed to online splurges that often last until 1am. After a brief lull, the posting frequently resumes as early as 5am, leaving a tiny window for rest.
Author Chris Whipple, who interviewed Chief of Staff Susie Wiles for Vanity Fair, revealed the desperate measures taken to monitor the chaos. Wiles reportedly keeps a live feed of Trump’s Truth Social posts on a massive monitor in her office.
Whipple told The Times: “I think it’s just a way for Wiles to keep up with it because nobody tries to control his Truth Social postings. He is unplugged, unshackled, unconstrained when it comes to Truth Social and all they can do is try to keep up and do damage control – and rarely do they even do that.”
While daytime posts are often dictated to assistants like Natalie Harp or overseen by deputy chief of staff Dan Scavino, the late-night crazy stuff is pure Trump. One unhinged Monday saw him fire off a staggering 158 posts between 9pm and midnight – a rate of nearly one post every minute.
Whipple added: “That’s Trump at his most genuine – it is what it is and the best Susie Wiles can do is just hang on for dear life.”
While Trump’s former physician, Ronny Jackson, once claimed he only needs four to five hours of sleep, experts are sounding the alarm over the “sleep debt” being racked up by the President.
Dr Ritz Birah, a psychologist and sleep expert for Panda London, warned that at Trump’s age, the lack of shut-eye could be disastrous for his brain. Speaking to the Irish Star in February, she said: “From a psychological and neuroscientific perspective, the reports about President Trump’s sleep schedule raise important questions, particularly given his age and the cognitive demands of leadership.”
The expert warned that the brain becomes a “reactive” ticking time bomb without the required seven to nine hours of rest. Dr. Birah said: “The brain becomes more reactive, less flexible, and more prone to errors in judgment.
“Emotional regulation is also impaired, with increased irritability, reduced tolerance for stress, and a greater likelihood of threat-based thinking. Large experimental studies have shown that repeatedly sleeping four to six hours per night leads to progressive cognitive decline comparable to total sleep deprivation.”
Dr Birah emphasised that while Trump may feel “energised” during his posting sprees, he is likely underestimating how impaired he has become. She also warned that “executive functioning,” which is vital for making high-pressure decisions in the Oval Office, is one of the first things to go when sleep is sacrificed for social media.
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