President Donald Trump, 79, delegated responses to Vice President JD Vance at a White House dinner with Central Asian leaders on Thursday, November 6, 2025, prompting questions about his apparent fatigue during the event.
The dinner, held in the White House’s East Room, included the presidents of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. Trump, seated between Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, faced inquiries from reporters about major policy issues but frequently directed Vance to answer.
When asked about Kazakhstan’s significance in joining the Abraham Accords, given its long-standing relationship with Israel, Trump deferred to Vance, saying, “You want to answer that, please?”
“What the president has done is signal that the momentum of the Abraham Accords is alive and well in the second administration,” Vance stated. “It’s not just going to be Kazakhstan, but also several other countries that join in the months to come.”
The Abraham Accords, initiated during Trump’s first term, established diplomatic ties between Israel and several Arab nations, including the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco, and Sudan. Kazakhstan’s inclusion marks the first expansion of the accords in Trump’s second term, although the addition is largely symbolic, as Kazakhstan and Israel have maintained diplomatic relations since 1992.
Trump announced Kazakhstan’s involvement on Truth Social after a call between Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The Central Asian country’s inclusion is strategic as the administration aims to extend the accords beyond Middle Eastern nations. Tokayev praised Trump, calling him a leader sent by Heaven to restore common sense.
A second reporter from Fox News questioned Trump about a Rhode Island federal judge’s order for his administration to fully fund food stamps for low-income Americans by week’s end. Trump mumbled, “You wanna go with it?” before Vance responded.
“It’s an absurd ruling because you have a federal judge effectively telling us what we have to do in the midst of a Democrat government shutdown,” Vance said during the dinner.
The issue revolves around U.S. District Judge John McConnell’s November 6 ruling, which requires the administration to distribute Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program payments to states by Friday. McConnell emphasized that people had gone without for too long, and further delaying payments was unacceptable. Nearly 42 million Americans receive SNAP benefits, which are typically distributed throughout the month.
The Department of Agriculture had halted November benefits unexpectedly, citing funding shortages amid a government shutdown that began on October 1. Democracy Forward, a progressive legal group, sued the USDA, alleging the department’s actions were arbitrary and capricious, violating the Administrative Procedure Act.
Vance warned about SNAP benefits running out, prompting Trump to become more animated, discussing food stamp payments, stating, “Biden went totally crazy. Gave it to anybody that would ask.”
Trump stated that assistance was being given to able-bodied individuals who didn’t truly need it, rather than those in genuine need. He explained the aid was for those struggling and could benefit, not for those choosing not to work and relying on payments.
The evening event followed a morning announcement in which Trump revealed deals with Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk to lower the prices of GLP-1 weight loss drugs. During the Oval Office announcement, a guest from Eli Lilly, reportedly using the drug, fainted near the Resolute Desk, pausing the press conference as medical personnel attended to the situation.
California Governor Gavin Newsom’s office released images from the event showing Trump with his eyes closed while Dr. Mehmet Oz, administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, discussed obesity and sleep. Newsom’s team wrote on social media, “DOZY DON IS BACK!” alongside the photos and video.
White House spokesperson Taylor Rogers stated that Trump was not sleeping and spoke throughout the announcement, marking a historic reduction in drug prices for Americans dealing with diabetes, heart disease, obesity, and other conditions. The White House called media coverage of the images a garbage narrative.
The Central Asian summit was a significant diplomatic effort by the Trump administration to secure access to rare earth metals, which are crucial for smartphones, electric vehicles, and military technology. Trump held bilateral meetings with each of the five leaders in the Oval Office before the working dinner. Central Asia holds significant reserves of rare earth minerals and produces roughly half of the world’s uranium, a vital resource for nuclear power.
Trump emphasized that previous American presidents had overlooked the region. He noted these nations once lay along the historic Silk Road connecting the East and West. Each visiting president commended Trump’s efforts to promote trade in their region. Tajikistan President Emomali Rahmon stated his country has very rich and boundless critical mineral resources.
Secretary of State Rubio met with the Central Asian leaders at the State Department on Wednesday to mark the 10th anniversary of the C5+1 grouping and discuss expanding economic ties. Rubio noted the accords create partnerships that bring economic development and demonstrate that majority Muslim countries and the Jewish state can partner on issues to show the world that cooperation is possible.
