President Donald Trump, who just moments earlier had declared the Rwanda-Democratic Republic of Congo peace agreement proof that he deserves a Nobel Peace Prize for ending eight wars, spent much of Thursday's signing ceremony with his eyes closed and head drooping at the Donald J. Trump Institute of Peace.
The seventy-nine-year-old president was observed closing his eyes with his hands clasped and head drooping while seated at a table as Rwandan President Paul Kagame spoke, apparently finding the historic moment less riveting than he had suggested minutes before.
Trump had kicked off the ceremony by announcing it was an amazing day for Africa and the world, praising the two leaders as courageous. He described the decades-old conflict as "the eighth war that we've ended," despite reports of continued fighting between the countries just this week. The president appeared particularly energized when discussing the bilateral economic agreements that would grant American companies access to the region's critical minerals, enthusiastically noting that everyone would make a lot of money.
However, Trump continued to doze after Kagame concluded his remarks and DRC President Félix Tshisekedi made his way to the podium, trying in vain to pay attention to each speaker. Sources close to the president noted that the African leaders' speeches, which totaled less than fifteen minutes, were considerably shorter than Tuesday's two-hour Cabinet meeting where Trump also reportedly fell asleep.
Trump awoke in time for the actual signing portion of the event, at which point he resumed discussing the tremendous wealth in the region's beautiful earth and America's plans to extract rare earth minerals. The president made no mention of his brief rest, though he did struggle to pronounce both leaders' names earlier in the ceremony.
