Secretary of State Marco Rubio disclosed that he and other senior officials spent roughly 90 minutes uncertain whether an unidentified person sleeping aboard Air Force One was experiencing a life-threatening medical event.
Rubio described the incident during an appearance on the Katie Miller Podcast, explaining it occurred while returning from China. The officials deliberated for approximately an hour and a half about whether to intervene with the sleeping passenger.
The Difficult Decision
Officials faced competing concerns during the deliberation. “We spent about 90 minutes sort of debating should we make a move? Should we deal with this?” Rubio said.
Rubio explained that waking the person risked embarrassment if they were simply in deep sleep. “Because it’s embarrassing if you wake them up,” he said.
However, the alternative scenario troubled officials more. “But if they were dead, like what do you do? You have a dead body on the plane,” Rubio said.
The person had slept through significant noise and showed no response to external stimuli, according to Rubio’s account. He also noted that “the breathing pattern was difficult,” which heightened concerns among those present.
How It Resolved
Despite their worries, no official summoned the aircraft physician or attempted to wake the individual during the deliberation period. The situation ultimately resolved without requiring officials to take action.
“Luckily, the person was fine,” Rubio said. He did not disclose the identity of the sleeping individual, and no other official has confirmed the person’s identity.
Rubio’s refusal to name the passenger sparked speculation on social media, with some users joking about potential candidates. The anecdote gained additional attention because Rubio had addressed a similar sleeping-related matter during a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing approximately one month earlier.
Previous Congressional Exchange
Democratic California Rep. Ted Lieu had asked Rubio whether he witnessed President Trump fall asleep in meetings. “I’ve never seen him fall asleep,” Rubio responded, adding that “the guy doesn’t sleep, which is a big problem.”
Lieu presented what he described as video evidence showing Trump with his eyes closed during a cabinet meeting. “Secretary Rubio, I’m going to show you, in a moment, a video that shows you just lied to Congress,” Lieu said.
Rubio maintained his position that he had never witnessed Trump fall asleep. No formal congressional action has been reported regarding Lieu’s accusation.
