Donald Trump says he wasn't sleeping in court but simply closing his 'beautiful blue eyes' so that he could 'listen intensely'

• Former President Donald Trump has denied falling asleep during his hush-money trial in Manhattan.

• He said he'd been closing his "beautiful blue eyes, sometimes," so he could "listen intensely."

• The trial, which began on April 15, is one of four criminal cases against Trump.

Former President Donald Trump says he hasn't been falling asleep during his hush-money trial.

Multiple reporters from outlets such as The New York Times, CNN, and The Washington Post have said Trump appeared to be dozing off during his first criminal trial.

Trump has been regularly appearing in a Manhattan court since the trial kicked off on April 15. He's accused of falsifying business records to cover up a sexual affair with the porn star Stormy Daniels.

But Trump says the reports of him snoozing aren't true at all.

"Contrary to the FAKE NEWS MEDIA, I don't fall asleep during the Crooked D.A.'s Witch Hunt, especially not today," Trump wrote in a Truth Social post on Thursday. "I simply close my beautiful blue eyes, sometimes, listen intensely, and take it ALL in!!!"

Trump's remarks came just a day after The New York Times' Maggie Haberman told CNN's Kaitlan Collins it was "100% true" that he was sleeping at some points during his trial.

Haberman did, however, say there were times when Trump really was just closing his eyes.

"That is how he tries to just basically stay calm and deal with it. And whether that then leads to sleep or whatever, who knows?" Haberman said. "But he is sitting there with his eyes closed for long periods of time. It's not always sleeping."

This isn't the first time the Trump campaign has refuted reports of him catching some shut-eye while in court. A representative for his campaign said in a statement to The Independent last month that the reports were "100% Fake News."

But that hasn't deterred people from cracking jokes at Trump's expense.

"Imagine committing so many crimes, you get bored at your own trial," the "Daily Show" host Jon Stewart said of Trump during an episode that aired on April 15.

Besides the case in Manhattan, Trump has been charged in three other criminal cases, including a state criminal case in Georgia over accusations that he attempted to overturn the 2020 election results.

The former president is on the line for two federal cases: one relating to his attempts to overturn the 2020 election results and another in which he's accused of hoarding classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate after leaving office.

None of the three cases have firm trial dates set yet.

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