Deprived of His 12 Daily Diet Cokes, Trump Falls Asleep (Again) at Hush Money Trial

As you’ve no doubt heard by now, Donald Trump fell asleep on the first day of his hush money trial in New York. Then, on Tuesday, it happened again. Here’s how Law360 reporter Frank G. Runyeon described the remarkable scene:

On Monday, we posited that a busy schedule and lack of adequate sleep at home was the reason the ex-president couldn‘t keep his eyes open. But on Tuesday, a new theory emerged: Trump keeps nodding off because, due to the constraints of the courtroom, he’s not getting his regular, steady supply of Diet Coke—and the caffeine that comes with it.

As The New York Times reported in 2017, Trump drinks about 12—12!—Diet Cokes a day, which, while living in the White House, he reportedly summoned via the Diet Coke button he had installed on his desk. Each 12-oz. can of Diet Coke contains 46 mg of caffeine, meaning with his dozen-DCs-a-day habit, Trump is used to consuming the caffeine equivalent of about four 12-oz. cups of coffee. (He does not drink coffee itself.) The courtroom where his trial is taking place does not allow any eating or drinking.Meaning a guy who essentially spends his days hooked up to a Diet Coke IV is now going cold turkey for multihour stretches. While it’s possible Trump could circumvent the issue by front-loading all his Diet Cokes in the morning before going to court, it seems pretty clear he’s not doing that.

But maybe he’s going to start, because it appears he does not appreciate people reporting on his inability to stay awake: