state of the union

Sleeping Boy is The MVP of the State of the Union

Photo: Alex Wong/Getty Images

President Trump’s second State of the Union address on Tuesday night garnered plenty of reactions, ranging from disdain to pure boredom, but perhaps the most fitting reaction came from Joshua Trump — the 11-year-old boy who was invited to attend the address by Melania Trump because he had been bullied over his last name.

During the speech, the sixth-grader and unlikely hero of the night got so tuckered out that he was spotted seemingly fast asleep in his seat. According to The Guardian, he zonked out at some point just before Trump began talking about immigration and the border wall.

On Monday, the White House had announced that Joshua Trump would be one of its 13 guests for the State of the Union, after Joshua had been teased so mercilessly for his last name that he reportedly stopped using it at school and even opted for homeschooling at one point.

As much of an honor as a SOTU invitation might be, it’s also probably extremely dull for an 11-year-old to be forced to sit still for hours and listen to a bunch of adults talk about politics.

In Joshua’s defense, it was a long night. The speech was reportedly the third-longest SOTU address in history, clocking in at 82 minutes — around the length of your average Disney movie, only less entertaining. It also likely ran way past his bedtime (I know it ran well past mine). Can you blame the poor kid for taking a few minutes of his own executive time?

Melania Trump’s State of the Union Guest Fell Asleep