Trump’s ‘droopy’ face during 9/11 ceremony doesn’t prove he had stroke

On Sept. 11, 2025, U.S. President Donald Trump attended a ceremony at the Pentagon memorializing the 24th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Social media sleuths watching the event noticed something else, however — the right side of the president’s face appeared to be drooping.

Weakness, numbness or paralysis on only one side of the face is among the best-known signs of a stroke, an urgent, life-threatening condition caused when blood supply to the brain is decreased or cut off entirely. Using the photos as evidence, posts casting doubt on Trump’s health and claiming he had a stroke went viral. Snopes received several messages from readers asking about the photos and what they implied about the president’s health. 

First, Snopes reached out to the White House for comment. Spokesperson Taylor Rogers told us it was a ridiculous inquiry and “the answer is absolutely not,” the statement continued.

We also reviewed photos of the event posted to Getty Images and verified that the right side of Trump’s face did appear visibly weaker than the left during the ceremony. Given Trump’s advanced age (at publication, he was 79), strokes are indeed a valid concern. 

However, strokes are life-threatening emergencies. The Mayo Clinic’s information page on strokes notes that individuals need to seek immediate medical attention. “Every minute counts,” it reads. “The longer a stroke goes untreated, the greater the potential for brain damage and disability.” If the president were having a full stroke, it would be odd for staffers traveling with the president to not immediately usher him to medical care.

Alternatively, Trump may have suffered a transient ischemic attack (TIA), sometimes called a “ministroke.” TIAs are caused by a temporary blockage of blood to the brain and do not cause long-term damage, according to the Mayo Clinic. Additionally, there are several other medical conditions that can cause one-sided facial paralysis — from Lyme disease to middle ear infections. According to the Cleveland Clinic, even “having a weakened immune system from stress” can cause Bell’s palsy, which does look like a stroke. 

Since it’s impossible to rule out alternative explanations without having direct access to Trump’s medical files and the White House is unwilling to share such information, Snopes cannot assign a rating to this claim.

Trump’s old age has lent itself to countless internet rumors about his health. For further reading, we recently investigated the claim that Trump had around six to eight months to live and looked into an edited image of Trump shared by California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s press office.

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