- Jon Stewart couldn't help roasting Donald Trump over reports of him falling asleep in court.
- Stewart was referencing a New York Times report that said Trump appeared to nod off "a few times" in court.
- "He's snoring. He's doing the honk shoo," Stewart joked while making cartoon snoring noises.
The "Daily Show" host Jon Stewart said he was amused that former President Donald Trump might have dozed off on the opening day of his first criminal trial.
"Imagine committing so many crimes, you get bored at your own trial," Stewart said of Trump on Monday night's episode.
Stewart referenced a report by The New York Times' Maggie Haberman on Monday's trial. Trump has been accused of falsifying his business records to cover up a sex scandal with the porn star Stormy Daniels.
In her story, Haberman wrote that "Trump appeared to nod off a few times, his mouth going slack and his head drooping onto his chest." Other outlets, such as CNN and The Washington Post, made similar observations of Trump.
Imagine committing so many crimes, you get bored and doze off at your own trial. -Jon Stewart pic.twitter.com/qlGStcbEFW
— The Daily Show (@TheDailyShow) April 16, 2024
"He appeared to be asleep, and repeatedly his head would fall down," Haberman told CNN's Jake Tapper on Monday.
On his show, Stewart addressed Tapper and asked what part of "head down, eyes closed, drool coming out of his mouth" the CNN anchor didn't get. "He's snoring. He's doing the honk shoo," he added before imitating the snoring sounds made by cartoon characters.
"There's a piece of paper going up and down and up and down in his mouth," Stewart said. "He's asleep."
But Haberman told CNN this wasn't the first time Trump had appeared to fall asleep while in court.
"There have been other moments in other trials like the E Jean Carroll trial, which was around the corner in January, where he appeared very still and seemed as if he might be sleeping, but then he would move," Haberman said.
Haberman was referencing the defamation case that Trump lost earlier this year. Trump now owes $83.3 million in damages to Carroll, a writer that a jury ruled last year he had sexually abused.
To be sure, Trump has been making frequent appearances in courts. Besides the civil trials involving Carroll, Trump was also ordered to pay a $175 million bond on April 1 for his New York civil fraud case.
Haberman: Trump appeared to be asleep. His head would fall down… He didn’t pay attention to a note his lawyer passed him. His jaw kept falling on his chest and his mouth kept going slack. pic.twitter.com/Y9niQfZc3W
— Acyn (@Acyn) April 15, 2024
The Trump campaign later issued a statement to The Independent refuting Haberman's report, calling the idea that Trump would fall asleep in court "100% Fake News."
Representatives for Trump didn't immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider sent outside regular business hours.
The former president has also been charged in three other criminal cases. This includes two federal cases relating to Trump's alleged attempts to overturn the 2020 election results and another on accusations that he hoarded classified documents in Mar-a-Lago after leaving office. None of those cases have firm trial dates set yet.