White House claims Trump is working up to 12-hour days, with evidence to support it

The White House is disputing reports suggesting President Donald Trump is experiencing fatigue in his role as commander in chief. Oval Office logs, shared exclusively with the New York Post, indicate that the president has been working up to 12-hour days over the last month.

The documents, released Tuesday, cover 10 weekdays from November 12 to November 25 and include rare private narrative logs. According to the Post, the records show that Trump, 79, has been putting in roughly 50-hour workweeks, not counting weekend activity or early morning and late-night duties.

Although the Post did not release the full documents, it summarized Trumps schedule for several days, highlighting media interviews, dinners, and foreign policy briefings. On November 12, aides recorded 32 meetings and calls with staff, lawmakers, and business leaders while Congress ended the longest government shutdown in U.S. history. Some names were redacted, but the Post noted that the logs largely align with Trumps publicly released schedule.

This new insight follows a report by The New York Times last month examining how Trumps age has influenced his work patterns. The article, titled Shorter Days, Signs of Fatigue: Trump Faces Realities of Aging in Office, reported that the presidents official appearances dropped by 39%, and daily events began nearly two hours later than during the first year of his first term. The Times also highlighted an instance where Trump appeared to nod off during an Oval Office briefing.

Trump responded on his Truth Social platform with criticism of journalist Katie Rogers, co-author of the Times report, calling her a third rate reporter and denouncing the article as a hit piece. He also emphasized his perfect physical exam and comprehensive cognitive test and insisted he remains sharper than I was 25 years ago.

The New York Times defended its reporting, stating it was accurate and built on first-hand reporting of the facts. A spokesperson added that personal attacks would not deter journalists from covering the administration, highlighting Rogers as an example of independent reporting.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt also pushed back, describing the Times report as unequivocally false. She told the Post that the outlet had cobbled together half-baked data to portray Trump as unfit, contrasting this coverage with what she described as the Times treatment of President Biden. Leavitt asserted that Trumps constant engagement on issues, along with his private schedule and Truth Social activity, demonstrates his ongoing dedication to the presidency.

Author: Sophia Brooks