Viral 'Zapper woman' shares truth as she responds to viral theory she's keeping Trump awake

After Donald Trump was spotted allegedly drifting off during a divisive announcement on vaccines yesterday (11 August), the internet was quick to come up with a theory as to how he was managing to stay awake.

It seems as if Trump had a poor night's sleep before his meeting in the Oval Office, and it was suggested that he might have found a new responsibility for one of his supporters, who it was claimed would 'zap' him awake at important moments.

An original tweet, which has been seen over 14 million times, read: "Claims she has a button fitted on her belly, and when she gets the nod that he’s asleep she moves her hand and presses a button that wakes him. They’re calling her The Zapper. No idea if it’s true but it *appears* to line up."

This bizarre conspiracy theory delighted Trump's critics, especially after everything the president has said about his predecessor: 'sleepy' Joe Biden.

One X user wrote: "Bro’s getting rebooted like a malfunctioning laptop!”

Although that would be a very funny explanation for what was going on in the viral video, the woman in question - Jayme Leagh Franklin, a former White House staffer and political commentator - has now responded with a much less exciting reason why she was resting her hand on her belly.

She said: "I’m just pregnant you weirdos," including a few laughing emojis to highlight exactly what she thinks of the slightly ridiculous theory.

A White House spokesperson also dismissed the claims that Trump was falling asleep on duty with a strong statement yesterday.

Davis Ingle, White House Spokesman, said: “President Trump’s sharpness, unmatched energy, and historic accessibility stand in stark contrast to what we saw during the last administration when Democrats and the legacy media intentionally covered up Joe Biden’s serious mental and physical decline from the American people. President Trump is the sharpest and most accessible President in American history who is working nonstop to solve problems and deliver on his promises.”

It's certainly not the first time questions have been raised about the president's well-being, as although he might insist that he's still in tip-top shape, the 80-year-old has shown signs of ill health in recent months, with many noticing the bruising on his hands. The White House claimed he had been shaking too many hands.

Franklin was in the Oval Office alongside the president as he signed a new executive order on vaccines, as both he and his health secretary have raised unfounded concerns over the use of vaccines in recent times, alongside other concerning health claims such as paracetamol being a cause of autism.

However, Franklin insisted that she is not an anti-vaxxer, and instead suggested that she simply wants more 'freedom for parents', which isn't particularly helpful given the recent surge in measles cases after it was previously declared eradicated in the US back in 2000.

She said in the Oval Office: “I’m a mom. I have a three-and-a-half-year-old and another one on the way.

“No parents should feel the pressure of, immediately their child is born, and a bunch of vaccines are pressured and pushed upon them.

“This is about freedom at the end of the day. This is what this country was built on. Freedom for parents to make the decisions that best suit their kid.

“I’m not anti-vaccine at all. I’m pro-vaccine. But we want to able to have the freedom to space it out and choose which one works for our child.

"We don’t believe that there’s a one-size-fits-all solution for every child.”

Trump has previously spoken about the alleged dangers of vaccines, despite their role in saving millions of lives both in the coronavirus pandemic and through the eradication of smallpox.

He claimed that 'in many cases we were requiring 72 jabs for our beautiful, healthy, lovely, delicate little children' shortly before signing the order, which is also misleading.

Times Trump has been accused of falling asleep

NBA Finals - New York Knicks vs San Antonio Spurs - 8 June 2026

Memorial Day ceremony - 25 May 2026

Press conference on US strikes on Venezuela - 4 January 2026

Reclassifying marijuana - 18 December 2025

White House cabinet meeting - 2 December 2025